Restaurants, like any company, have to be mindful of their employee's social media activity, but it's not every day that a restaurant's own Twitter feed becomes a liability. On December 15, The Plough Pub in Great Haseley, England fired its head chef, Jim Knight. The chef had access to the pub's Twitter account, and unleashed a tirade of tweets publicizing his layoff.
First he highlighted the timing of his dismissal:
We'd like to inform you that we've just fired our head chef.
— The Plough (@ploughpub) December 15, 2013
Unfortunately he wanted to have a weekend off this month and Christmas Day this year for family commitments so we thought we'd sack him
— The Plough (@ploughpub) December 15, 2013
Yeah a week before Christmas!
— The Plough (@ploughpub) December 15, 2013
Then, Knight got personal, telling the pub's Twitter followers about his family:
We don't care that he has a 7 1/2 month old baby daughter.
— The Plough (@ploughpub) December 15, 2013
Next, he made a sarcastic dig at the pub's food, claiming most of it comes from a British supermarket chain.
So anyway come on down and continue to pay a premium for Australian sirloins, New Zealand lamb and everything else that is bought from asda.
— The Plough (@ploughpub) December 15, 2013
Plough Pub landlord Mr. Potts told the Mirror that this claim was "outrageous and untrue." While he admitted certain staples come from the supermarket, he refuted the point that the pub is passing off cheap meat at a premium.
Because the tweets are still up on The Plough Pub's Twitter page, it seems that Knight has control over the account. As he clarifies on his own Twitter page:
I would like to make it CRYSTAL CLEAR I have not "hacked" any account. I created the account with permission of my ex-employers. Night x
— Jim Knight (@chefjimknight) December 16, 2013
Under the pub's Twitter photo reads a message, presumably from Knight: "Let this be a lesson to all bad catering employers..."
So what's the lesson? All Knight's hell-raising hasn't been for nothing. Apparently he received a "serious job offer" after the whole thing. That's one way to find a new job!
UPDATE 12/17: Jim Knight is now employed at another pub close to The Plough called The Shepard's Crook.
@chefjimknight Welcome to The Shepherd's Crook Jim - your misfortune is our very good fortune!!! Enjoy your Xmas Day with your new baby!!
— The Shepherd's Crook (@TheShepherdsCro) December 16, 2013
Not only did Knight get a new gig out of the whole ordeal, but he also gets Christmas off. He doesn't, however, have access to the Shepard's Crook's Twitter account.
I would like to point out I don't know the password to @TheShepherdsCro twitter account. I wonder why?
— Jim Knight (@chefjimknight) December 16, 2013