Manager gets job back after refusing to open on Thanksgiving
Pizza Hut rallies behind local employee who was fired for keeping restaurant closed
The manager of an Indiana Pizza Hut has been offered his job back after claiming he was fired for refusing to open the restaurant on Thanksgiving.
Tony Rohr, who worked his way up from cook to manager at the restaurant, in Elkhart, Ind., over 10 years, said the company that owns the store dictated it be open for the holiday, and he refused.
"I said, 'Why can't we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees and they can have the day off,?'" Rohr told WSBT 22. "Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days that they're closed in the whole year and they're the only two days that those people are guaranteed to have off to spend with their families.”
After news of the reported firing made national headlines Wednesday night, Pizza Hut announced on its Facebook page that Rohr had been offered his job back.
"We fully respect an employee’s right to not work on a holiday, which is why the vast majority of Pizza Huts in America are closed on Thanksgiving. As a result, we strongly recommended that the local franchisee reinstate the store manager and they have agreed. We look forward to them welcoming Tony back to the team," the statement read.
Earlier Wednesday, a Pizza Hut rep told WSBT 22 that the decision to remain open on Thanksgiving wasn't up to Rohr, and that it came from the corporate level.
Rohr wrote a letter venting his frustrations, saying: "I do not resign. However, I accept that the refusal to comply with this greedy, immoral request means the end of my tenure with this company." He added, "I hope you realize that it is the people at the bottom of the totem pole that make your life possible."
Later, the station got in touch with the director of operations for the local chain and he told the news station that Rohr did not get fired, but rather, he quit.
It was not known late Wednesday if Rohr accepted the company's offer.
Pizza Hut is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and KFC.
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.