The Fast Food Scandal That Landed Burger King Workers In Hot Water

Burger King employees are always there for us, churning out juicy burgers and salty fries, and an epic breakfast menu filled with tasty food items every time we visit the drive-thru. They go above and beyond for their customers, whistleblowing on menu items they'd never touch and highlighting hidden gems like the BK soft serve ice cream. But recently, BK employees in Spain reappeared in the news for a different reason — they've officially been fired from their jobs after throwing an off-the-clock parking lot party during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, has ruled in favor of Burger King in an ongoing lawsuit about the firings. Employees are expected to uphold company policies even if they aren't actively whipping up a best-selling Whopper or dropping onion rings into the fryer. That was true especially in 2020, when the company was enforcing special rules for customers and employees during the pandemic. It also sends a message going forward to all fast-food employees: You'd better watch what you do off the clock if you want to keep your job.

The trouble started with a "botellón," a drinking street party in Spain that was hosted in a Burger King parking lot at the height of the pandemic. The party happened after-hours, and nobody was on the clock. Several employees attended this party, and when Burger King found out about it, the company was swift to fire some (not all) of the employees involved. Those employees challenged the decision in court and have since been locked in a legal battle.

The first judge to see the case sided with the employees, ruling the conduct wasn't bad enough to result in termination. Burger King appealed the decision, claiming the employees in question violated good faith in the employee-employer relationship. Burger King pointed to three ways employees had wronged the company: Breaking internal rules, violating the company's code of conduct, and ignoring pandemic-related health protocols and procedures.

The court sided with Burger King during the appeal, overturning the original decision and upholding BK's decision on the firings. The judge provided a few reasons why the employees' actions were bad enough to result in termination: Employees were aware of the internal rules they were breaking and of the COVID-19 protocols that were in place, and their actions impacted BK's reputation and bottom line.