The Reported Chick-Fil-A Policy That Has Reddit Furious

When it comes to company culture, some might say Chick-fil-A is a bit of an outlier. Besides the whole being-closed-on-Sunday thing, the fast food company has earned some raised eyebrows over what some might argue are outdated, or simply stringent employee rules. For instance, there are strict, gendered regulations on team member appearance. The company doesn't allow men to have hair longer than their shirt and there is a universal ban against "unnaturally" colored hair, facial jewelry, and beards. 

But beyond the dress code, there have been reports of Chick-fil-A restaurants implementing rules that are borderline questionable, if not illegal. Last year, an employee on Reddit revealed that one location threatened to deduct workers' pay if they discussed their wages with coworkers. And it doesn't stop there.

This week, a different former employee sounded off the alarm on yet another Chick-fil-A policy that has sparked a heated discussion on Reddit. Taking to the anti-work subreddit, the ex-employee wrote in a post, "Chick-fil-A. This job was such bull****," over a photo of a bright yellow sign posted for workers by their former manager at an undisclosed Chick-fil-A location. The issue? In the memo, the manager wrote that employees accepting tips was not only "unacceptable," it was considered grounds for termination. The post has immediately caught the attention of Redditors, earning over 1,300 upvotes and 200 comments in less than two days, with many outraged on behalf of the original poster and the chain's employees as a whole.

Many commenters agreed that being punished for receiving a tip was completely unfair. "A boss so horrible she doesn't want her employees to have more money even when it costs her absolutely nothing," remarked one user of the memo. "If the customer wants to tip it's their business, not CFA," declared another. 

Soon, the conversation moved beyond the CFA policy to a discussion on tip culture in general. "Tipping is stupid and you should just be paid a living wage it's not my responsibility to feed your stupid kids I just want a chicken sandwich," opined one user. Another offered a more nuanced take, acknowledging that while they wished tipping culture would disappear, "If the store isn't paying a fair wage, then keep your hands off my tip jar."

For the record, the average hourly pay for Chick-fil-A employees hovers between $11.83 and $16.50, which is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and other fast-food restaurants, per Indeed. However, the frustration for Chick-fil-A employees not receiving tips may stem from the fact that many believe the pay does not accurately reflect the workload. Some workers have previously vented frustrations about the high expectations managers place on workers leading to "burnout."

At this time, Chick-fil-A doesn't appear changing its no-tips policy any time soon. But given the attention the Reddit post is receiving, it may bring greater awareness to the increased demand for better fast food wages across the board.