Waffle House employees are sick of getting into viral fights with violent customers and are demanding safer working conditions with better wages.
The Waffle House is one of America’s biggest fast-food chains with nearly 2,000 locations across the country, but if there’s one thing the diner is known for more than its pancakes, it’s wild fight videos.
Throughout the years there have been numerous viral brawls at the restaurants including one melee that exploded in popularity last year when an employee dubbed Waffle House Wendy caught a chair during a massive fight.
However, despite the numerous incidents involving fisticuffs, Waffle House employees have had enough. 13,000 workers have signed a petition demanding safety at work, a $25 an hour minimum wage, and more.
Waffle House brawl on Christmas. pic.twitter.com/Bo8mMY085R
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) December 26, 2022
Waffle House employees insist they’re not MMA fighters
In a video posted to social media on November 8, Waffle House employees claimed they delivered 13,000 signs petitions to the restaurant’s HQ in Atlanta, but things didn’t go according to plan.
The employees alleged that the corporate office threatened to call the police on the workers and even threw the petitions in the trash when they were dropped off.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The signed petitions demand that Waffle House hire 24/7 security, end its mandatory meal deduction policy and pay all workers $25 an hour instead of their current “poverty wages.”
.@WaffleHouse workers just delivered 13K signed petitions demanding $25/hr, security in all stores, an end to mandatory meal deductions straight to Waffle House corporate HQ in Atlanta. How did Waffle House respond? They threw them all in the TRASH #UnionsForAll #SolidaritySeason pic.twitter.com/AY2wkX9W8c
— Union of Southern Service Workers (@RaiseUptheSouth) November 8, 2023
Waffle House cook Gerald Green told the Independent that staff are sick of having a reputation for fighting untruly customers in late-night restaurant brouhahas.
“I know the joke is that everybody’s an MMA fighter, but no one actually is an MMA fighter,” he said. “We don’t want that stuff. Stop trying to be on your cousin’s fight compilation video. We’re just trying to get your food and send you on your way.”
Green said that violent incidents at the restaurants led him and others to take action. In 2017, a friend of his was shot and killed during a robbery while on shift. Green was forced to work his own shift despite his friend only being dead for a couple of hours.
“Y’all called me in just a couple of hours after someone died. That’s messed up,” he said.