Fast food chain goes viral for 'requiring' staff to take orders and deliver them by foot; restaurant releases statement
A Tiktok video has been making rounds online for drawing attention to a popular fast food chain's "disappointing" scheme of "requiring" crew members to take orders and deliver them by foot in Davao City.
In the video uploaded by Tiktok content creator Maria Cabral on Nov. 25, a crew member of Chowking SM Ecoland is seen walking inside a subdivision and asking for orders from a customer in the user's household.
According to the poster, the crew member, named Sheila, was tasked by her manager to walk around Ecoland Subdivision to "find customers."
"Good morning po, Ma'am, from SM Chowking po. Baka po gusto niyo mag-order," the staff member said while showing her smartphone with the restaurant's menu.
The customer then asked in Davaoeño, "If I order halo-halo, how will it be delivered here?" Sheila answered, "I'll go back to the store and then I'll deliver it again here."
The customer then asked if the staff member would just walk to and from the store, to which Sheila said "Yes." Another portion would be to ride a jeepney or tricycle, but when the customer asked if the store provides its staff members with transportation allowance, Sheila said, "wala po."
She later explained that the store's managers required them to take and deliver orders from house to house because "as a service crew, we need to grow our sales because it's also our job."
Later that day, the Chinese diner's server came back with the customer's order, handed it to her, then said that she would return after delivering the orders of other households in the subdivision.
When asked how much her daily quota is, the staff member said that is P6,000. "I only made P2,000 today," she said. "As a server, you have to do everything."
@cabralmaria__ lets do better, and treat are servers fairly! 😕 #davao #fastfood ♬ original sound - maria cabral <3
According to Cabral, the restaurant is a fifteen-minute walk from where the video was filmed. The server then had to walk three times just to deliver their order.
"There's nothing but an umbrella. They didn't give her water or allowance to use the jeep or the tricycle," she noted. "Very disappointed with the situation and I hardly ever post content like this but I have a platform and I'm gonna use it."
"Repost, download, you can comment on this video and repost it, you have my permission," she continued. "Let's do our part and treat our waiters and servers with kindness because they do not get paid enough for this s--t."
The video has so far earned 5.2 million views, over 439,000 likes, and 5,996 comments since it was posted by the content creator on Friday. It has also been reposted multiple times on social media, with the one posted by Facebook user Jan Azirapa gaining as much as 45,000 reactions and 30,000 shares as of writing.
Several social media users, meanwhile, expressed their dismay over the fast food chain after Cabral posted her video. Some urged others to "boycott" the restaurant because "this is how they treat their employees." Others noted they could "do better."
Meanwhile, there are also those who claimed that they were former employees of the fast-food chain and confirmed that this is indeed part of its operations.
"Been a manager in Chowking for a while. Actually, yes, it happens," one user wrote. "I'm 100% sure na 'yung mga manager na nagpapa-imlement into e 'yung mga sobrang pine-pressure ng mga area manager (AM) nila or mga manager na sobrang magpa-bibo sa mga AMs nila."
"Hindi makatao ang management ng Chowking! Kawawa ang empleyado!" the user lamented.
Another one agreed, saying, "As a former manager, this is true. Required 'to kasi utos ng AM namin. Wala din kaming choice. So para lang pampalubag loob, tini-treat ko staff ko using my own money kasi kawawa talaga."
User Jem Dela Cruz Callej likewise recalled his experience of having to take and deliver orders outdoors when he was employed by the fast food chain. "I was a former employee of Chowking back in 2013. Since bago ako noon, ako inuutusan magikot-ikot para makabenta kasi 'di ganun malakas," he recalled, noting how he did something similar for its sister company, despite being given a low salary.
Another user, who claimed previously working for another sister company, aired the same sentiments on the comments section of the post. "Ganyan din ako nag-iikot sa palengke at Robinsons sa amin. May quota din kami nyan kaya kahit mainit or maulan, mag-iikot pa rin kami para maka-quota," the user said.
Other social media users, meanwhile, lauded Sheila for going the extra mile to earn her pay and for being "king enough not to complain."
Amid all the criticisms, one user noted how outside-of-restaurant order-taking is "beneficial" to everyone working in the store.
"It is called FDS, free delivery service. We do this to help boost sales ng store lalo na medyo mahina sa store. This is beneficial din to everyone," the user commented.
Chowking, for its part, released a statement on Sunday, Nov. 26, saying that is taking the issue involving its Davao branch "seriously" and is now taking the necessary steps to address it.
"We assure our customers and the public that we are treating this matter seriously. As such, we have asked the store to place the activity on hold while the guidelines to ensure compliance with our standards are undergoing review. Further, the concerned team member continues to be a valued member of the store," the statement reads.
"At Chowking, upholding ethical standards in conducting business is a core commitment, and the safety and well-being of our team members remain our top priority," it concluded.
PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to Cabral and Chowking for further comments but has yet to hear back from both.