Furious IHOP employee reveals reason she was sacked: ‘I would still do it again’
A longtime IHOP employee claims she was fired for 13 years after deciding to help a man in need ahead of the holidays.
Victoria Hughes claimed last month that she was working at a restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, when a homeless man walked in and said he was hungry.
“Without thinking about it, I bought the stack of pancakes and made him a water,” she says told WFLA.
She also said she told her manager what she was planning to do and was surprised by his response.
‘He told me why he was upset [was] because it could cause a loitering problem … or a safety problem for customers,” Hughes said.
The man returned to the restaurant two days later, when a local family brought him in for another meal.
Two days after that, Hughes said she received a call from her manager informing her she was being fired.
“He spoke to me yesterday and told me I had been fired,” she told the local news station. “I asked him what for, and he said ‘company policy.’
Victoria Hughes claimed last month that she was working at a restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, when a homeless man walked in and said he was hungry
She said her manager told her she was being fired after 13 years because of ‘company policy’
Still, Hughes said she would do it again if she had the chance.
‘I need my job, but I would still do it again. “I really would,” she said. ‘I would still help someone if I could.
“If he had asked me for my shirt, I probably would have tried to give it to him too,” she added.
Fortunately, after sharing her story, Hughes said she received a call from IHOP headquarters with a job offer and compensation for the days she missed.
“He also told me he would make a donation, a healthy donation to a charity of my choice that I wanted in my local community.”
In a statement, Dan Enea, the CEO of Sunshine Restaurant Partners, which operates more than 150 IHOP locations, said the company is “committed to providing an inclusive environment, welcoming to all.”
“While we actively investigate this situation, we will use this as an opportunity to train our employees on how to handle cases of food insecurity,” Enea said.
“To continue our commitment to supporting those in need in our local community, we are making a donation to Feeding America and to local Lakeland charities supporting food insecurity,” he added.
But Hughes said she will take her time deciding whether to work for IHOP again after spending time with her family over the holidays.