LAPLACE, La. -- A McDonald's employee in Louisiana claims he was fired after tweeting photos of a drip tray from the restaurant's ice cream machine.
The employee, only identified by Nick, shared photos of a drip tray from inside the ice cream machine.
According to Nick, a restaurant manager is supposed to regularly clean the tray.
As many people online have mentioned, the dirty drip tray is a reflection of this restaurant location and not all McDonald's restaurants.
The company issued a statement to the Huffington Post:
“We are committed to running great restaurants that provide our customers with high quality food, service and a clean environment. This is a part of our soft serve equipment that does not come into contact with any food and is required to undergo regular and timely cleaning.”
A McDonald's spokesman told BuzzFeed news the drip tray does not come into contact with the food. The owner and operator of the restaurant location also issued a statement to BuzzFeed and said:
"(The company) regularly conduct[s] in-person and online employee training sessions as well as internal inspections to ensure crew members are following safe food practices. In addition, we have a long history of passing regular health department inspections."
Nick said he took the photos in early July. After he shared the photos on Twitter, he was fired. He declined to say where the restaurant is located.
The McDonald's social media policy discourages employees from sharing photos or comments online that "undermine the goodwill, reputation, development and/or operation" of its brand." Employees who violate the policy are subject to disciplinary action "up to and including termination of employment."
Nick told BuzzFeed News he was aware of the policy when he tweeted out the photos.
“I feel like I did nothing wrong,” Nick told the Huffington Post. “I sacrificed my job to show people what they’re really eating.”
