Fast food worker fired by manager for throwing his half-filled soda away, gets immediately reinstated by his manager's boss: 'He asked why I was back since he fired me'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jul 20, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Hot-headed managers really think they can get away with anything. However, regardless of how impassioned, frustrated, and even justified they may be, there is always a limit to what they can do or say, and this fast food manager definitely reached his limit.

There are, of course, plenty of valid reasons to fire someone on your team. If they're actively undermining authority and refusing to complete their tasks and responsibilities, those are grounds for dismissal. If they make unprofessional remarks to other coworkers or customers, those are grounds for dismissal as well. But if they make a simple mistake—like accidentally throwing away a manager's snack or soda—that's not exactly worth firing someone. And yet, this manager decided to throw an entire temper tantrum over this innocent mixup.

Thankfully, the employee stood his ground and refused to apologize, given the fact that he had asked his manager if the drink belonged to him and was ignored. Furthermore, the tantrum simply does not match the act itself. Everyone knew this, and so the manager didn't just lose an employee that day (albeit temporarily); he also lost a ton of support from everyone else.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10531728384
    via Fotos

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Stay tuned for the second half of the story, where the general manager swooped in and made the correction, insisting that the author's supervisor had zero authority to fire someone just like that. Not only did the author come back into work the next day, but he was thrilled to be the person to break to the news to his supervisor that he had been reinstated. 

  • 02
    I used to work at sonic as a carhop. I usually worked 4/5 to close. One day I was cleaning up all the drinks the day shift left around,
    via HuffPuff92
  • 03
    and I found a can of monster. I grabbed it, and walked around and asked everybody who was working. The manager, Robert (like normal) was talking to his girlfriend on the phone (assuming based off all the s talk).
    via HuffPuff92
  • 04
    When I asked if it was his, he looked right at me, shook his head and turned away without saying anything. After I finished asking everybody else, I dumped it out and threw it away.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 05
    30-45 minutes later he comes up front and went to throw away his trash and seen it in the trash. He. Was. LIVID.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 06
    Started screaming, grabbed it out of the trash and started shoving it in people face asking if they threw it away.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 07
    I told him they didn't, I did. He cornered me against the wall and screamed in my face that I was going to leave and go buy him a new one.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 08
    Two things. The monster was probably half full (if that), and I HATE being yelled at. And I asked him!
    via HuffPuff92
  • 09
    We got into this huge fight about it, him demanding I replace it, me telling him to off. This went on for two hours. It was slow because it was winter, so he sent everybody else home (he was cooking).
    via HuffPuff92
  • 10
    Finally he told me I was either going to go buy a new one, or I was going to go home. It was 7 at this point, we closed at midnight.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 11
    I grabbed my stuff and went and clocked out. He said if I didn't go get him a new drink, I was fired. I said okay, see you never.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10531728128
    via Unsplash+ (Karolina Grabowska)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 13
    Not even five minutes after I left, the gm, Jeremy, called me asking why I left, so I told him what happened. He said the other manager can't fire me as only the
    via HuffPuff92
  • 14
    gm can and asked me to go back and finish the shift. I told him that I couldn't do that with Robert yelling in my face like that, that I'd go back tomorrow.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 15
    So Robert was f ed the rest of the night. Nobody else (not even Jeremy) would come in. He had to cook and run orders for 5 hours by himself. Ped a lot of customers off.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 16
    And when I went in the next night he asked why I was back since he fired me and it was a joy to tell him he couldn't do that. He held a grudge for three whole months.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 17
    violentpancakes_ · 1 day ago How toddlers become managers is beyond me...
    via HuffPuff92
  • 18
    Prof1959 +2.1 day ago Can't believe the GM didn't have a chat with Robert about it, saving you the months of grudges, but OK.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 19
    Bearmancartoons 1 day ago Should have gone a bought a new one then right before handing it to him drank half of it. You replaced a half a monster drink that you tossed.
    via HuffPuff92
  • 20
    Geminii27 +3.21 hr. ago he asked why I was back "Because it was only you firing me, not anyone actually important."
    via HuffPuff92
  • 21
    RealUltimatePapo +1.1 day ago I think deep down, he knew he made a mistake about the drink, but wasn't man enough to admit that he was wrong Shoulda spent the $2 to replace the drink, Robbie
    via HuffPuff92
  • 22
    . Doc_k-9 1 day ago anyway if Robert would still fired you for that you could counter-sue or demand for unemployment because it was without cause/retaliation (even if it is an at will state, there is that they can't fire you just for that)
    via HuffPuff92

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

getting fired workplace-stories fired work stories toxic-workplace malicious compliance fired story work restaurant restaurant work fast food toxic-work-environment
Scroll Down For The Next Article