People on both sides of the Chick-fil-A debate seemed to agree that a Tucson man who made a viral video belittling a patient restaurant worker acted like a sanctimonious jerk, even his boss – make that ex-boss.
Adam Smith, who posted an online video of himself going through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru and ordering only the free water, was canned from his gig as chief financial officer of Vante, a Tucson medical manufacturing company, after the video made the rounds.
“Chick-fil-A is a hateful company,” Smith tells the employee. "I don’t know how you sleep at night,” Smith adds at another point. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values.”
After the employee, who never loses her composure, wishes Smith a nice day, he responds “I will. I just did something really good. I feel purposeful.”
“We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante."
Smith pulled the video from YouTube, but by then, it had already gone viral. People on both sides of the debate blasted him for his treatment of the woman in thousands of posts online.
On Thursday, Smith’s boss at Vante, CEO Roger Vogel, cashiered Smith.
“Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A,” the company said in a statement. “Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company.
“We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees,” the statement continued.
Vogel said he wasn’t weighing in on either side of the debate, which began when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said he supports the “biblical” definition of marriage. Same-sex marriage advocates blasted the company, which in turn prompted a national outpouring of support for the chicken chain on Wednesday.
Smith previously taught as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona, according to reports, but does not currently hold a position with university.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
