A California woman is suing the popular Subway sandwich chain after she got a rude message on the box that contained the flatbread pizza (“Flatizza”) that she ordered.?Allison Brown, 45, says that she feels bullied by the Subway worker who wrote “Big Mama” on the box,?according to the?New York Daily News.
“I just broke down crying. I couldn’t eat it. I kept thinking, ‘Big Mama’ doesn’t need to eat. It started really messing with me. I started thinking, ‘Maybe I need surgery. Do I really look that bad? What’s wrong with me?'”
Brown immediately contacted the shop’s owner and was told that his employee admitted to writing “Big Mama” on the box, but he countered by pointing out that the employee only wrote it on one of her boxes, not all of the boxes in the family’s order.
“The owner said the employee didn’t know better, that he just didn’t get it,” Brown told The News. “He begged me not to go to the media, so I tried to work with him, but then nobody was calling me back. It’s not right. This really hurt me.”
Brown, a nursing assistant from Murrieta, CA, said she called Subway’s corporate offices and left a message, but got no response. She subsequently hired an attorney and has turned down ?Subway’s ?initial offer of $5,000; the offer included a confidentiality agreement that would bar her from talking about the case.
[Attorney Dan] Gilleon said a letter sent by Subway’s corporate office this week refused to take any responsibility for the issue. He now plans to file the lawsuit in the next few weeks, he said.
“They need to make sure all employees take training. And it’s something they should have done already. It should be in their franchise agreements,” he said. “If they can dictate how thinly the onions on the sandwiches are sliced, they can and should do this.” (New York Daily News)
Sanjiv Mehta, the owner of the Subway where the incident occurred,?issued a?response to?ABC10 News:
“As a small business owner, I do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. When I learned of this incident I immediately investigated and disciplined the employee involved. I also made contact with the customer in an effort to resolve this matter.”
As for Brown??
“I will never stop foot in a Subway again. You couldn’t pay me to eat there again,” said Brown.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?subscribe to her public updates on Facebook,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
