Jack in the Box worker fired for giving veteran free tacos
Restaurant claims termination was based multiple incidents with employee and not because of customer's military service
A 19-year-old says he was fired from his job at a Jack-in-the-Box in Bakersfield, Calif. after serving an army veteran two free tacos.
Alex Mesta admitted to previously giving several cups of coffee to the regular customer, reports Fox News Edge.
"Since he's a vet, I don't think I should charge him for his coffee. It's like not even a dollar for a coffee," says Mesta.
But one night, the teen server decided to give the veteran two tacos-- which retail for just $0.99. He says that the food items were leftover at the end of the day and destined to the thrown out. But Mesta’s actions were caught on store surveillance cameras—and someone from corporate wasn’t happy with what they saw.
Mesta says he was fired for his altruistic actions, with corporate claiming he had "mishandled funds."
A Facebook post about the incident has now gone viral and many are calling for a boycott of Jack-in-the-Box.
The fast food chain's corporate communications office released a statement claiming that Mesta's termination was based on previous employee infractions-- not the incidents regarding the veteran.
“We too are grateful to our veterans and to the men and women currently serving in the armed forces. Regarding this incident, while it would not be appropriate to provide complete details on an internal disciplinary issue, our actions in this case were not based on just one incident and had nothing to do with the guest’s military experience."
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