McDonald’s Manager Says She Was Fired After Paying For Firefighters’ Meal

It’s a classic case of she-said/franchisee-said at a McDonald’s eatery in New York state, where a 23-year-old single mom claims she lost her job as a manager at the fast food joint after paying for breakfast for a group of firefighters.

The Olean, NY, woman tells WIVB-TV that her restaurant recently received two large orders from firefighters who had been working to put out a house fire in freezing temperatures.

When it came time to ring up the first order, the manager says she elected to foot the $83 tab out of her own pocket.

Then a second group of firefighters came in and ordered $70 worth of food. The woman says she texted her boss to see if the McDonald’s would cover the cost. She tells WIVB that it’s “very common” for the store to pay for orders for police who come by the restaurant.

When the boss said no, she claims she went up the ladder to McDonald’s corporate, only to also be told no. So she and other workers at the restaurant chipped in to pay for the meals.

The details get a little hazy after that.

Some firefighters, believing that the manager had been pressured by the restaurant to pay for their food, called the franchisee to complain.

Her boss dismissed later her from her job of eight years. According to the former manager, she was told it was because she swore at a superior. However, she claims the extent of her foul language was saying, “this is ‘freaking’ ridiculous.”

The franchisee denies the manager’s claim that the firing had anything to do with paying for the firefighters’ meals.

“We would never penalize an employee for showing appropriate gratitude for the work of our firefighters,” reads a statement to WIVB. However, the franchisee would not provide any further details on the dismissal.

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