The Pizza Hut general manager who was fired this month because of his unwillingness to force employees to work on Thanksgiving will be offered his job back, the company told The Huffington Post Thursday.
The decision to dismiss the general manager, Tony Rohr, from his job at the company’s location in Elkhart, Ind., quickly sparked online outcry, as people rallied behind Rohr and announced plans to avoid the chain in the future.
In an emailed statement, Pizza Hut said the situation “could and should have been avoided” by the local franchisee that fired him. Company headquarters quickly pushed the franchisee to rehire Rohr. Here is the full statement from Pizza Hut:
[W]e feel strongly that the situation involving our independent franchisee and the local store manager could and should have been avoided. 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.
Rohr previously told local television station WSBT 22 that Pizza Hut should take a stand against the corporate norm to ask workers to come in on Thanksgiving. The day, he said, should be spent with family.
"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.
Many Americans appears to agree. According to a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll, more than 60 percent of Americans say stores should be closed on the holiday.
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