- A Florida IHOP worker says she was fired for feeding a homeless man.
- The worker, Victoria Hughes, says she was told she was violating company policy.
- IHOP’s corporate office tried to reverse the decision after media coverage.
A longtime worker at a Florida IHOP was fired for feeding a homeless man, although the company later tried to reverse course by offering her job back.
Victoria Hughes worked for over a decade at an IHOP in Lakeland, Florida.
Late last month, however, her job was terminated after she said she decided to feed a man who appeared to be homeless and hungry.
Hughes said to WFLA, “He stated to me and the host that he was hungry.”
She added, “Without a second thought, I bought the stack of pancakes and made him a water.”
Hughes told the local broadcaster that she informed her manager of the good deed but received an unexpected response.
“He told me the reason behind him being upset because it could cause a loitering issue, was that things like that are a safety issue for customers,” Hughes said in her WFLA interview.
According to WFLA, the situation escalated when the man returned with a family for another meal at a later date.
Then, Hughes told WFLA that she received a phone call from her manager telling her she was being fired.
She said she was told it was company policy.
Although Hughes was left without a job, she told the local broadcaster that she had no regrets and would help someone in need again.
Following local media coverage, Hughes said IHOP’s corporate office called her and offered her her job back, along with compensation for the missed days of work and a “healthy” donation to a charity of her choice.
In a statement provided to Business Insider by IHOP, Dan Enea of Sunshine Restaurant Partners, an IHOP franchisee, did not dispute any of Hughes’ allegations.
Enea said: “We took immediate action to investigate the situation and have implemented training for our employees on addressing issues relating to food insecurity.”
Enea added that the company will support efforts to address food insecurity by partnering with Feeding America and by making donations to local charities.
At this time, Hughes has declined the job offer.
In a GoFundMe page started at the event of November, Hughes said she was “publicly humiliated for feeding a homeless man.”
In her fundraiser, she asked for a “little bit of help to get me through the holiday season. ” She has since raised over $3,000.
Hughes did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
