SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP/KY3) – Applebee’s has confirmed that an employee of a Missouri-based franchisee has been fired after sending an email speculating that high gas prices and the end of pandemic stimulus money would force employees to work longer hours for lower pay.
Kevin Carrol, Applebee’s chief operations officer, said in a statement, that the opinion was not shared by the company. The email got into the hands of Lawrence, Kansas, restaurant manager last month, who made copies of it.
Forbes reported on the email on March 27 after it had surfaced on Reddit and Twitter. The email was dated back to March 9 and included this text:
“Most of our employee base and potential employee base live paycheck to paycheck. Any increase in gas prices cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas prices continue to go up, that means more hours employees will need to work to maintain their current level of living.”
Per Missouri court records, Wayne Pankratz, the franchisee worker accused of sending the email, was listed as a Springfield resident in 2017 and had connections with a Missouri-based Applebee’s dating back to 2012.
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