Why A Leaked Memo Scandal Is Leading To An Applebee’s Boycott
An older version of this story on 3/30/22 said that Wayne Pankratz worked at Applebee’s. Pankratz used to work for a chain company in the Midwest that owns a lot of Applebee’s restaurants.
The prices of fuel and food are closely related. NBC News says that in 2021, problems with the supply chain caused the prices of gas and food to go through the roof.
This put a lot of families in a tight spot financially.
Food prices in other countries have also gone up because of the price of gas. CP24 says that rising gas prices in Canada have caused food prices to rise, possibly by as much as 35%.
Many people are in trouble because of inflation, but one company seems to be happy about the rising price of oil.
According to Forbes, Wayne Pankratz of American Franchise Capital emailed many high-ranking colleagues about how growing inflation, petrol prices, and the termination of expanded unemployment benefits give the Midwestern region of the company leverage.
when dealing with the staff of the restaurant business. Pankratz combined these things to explain why the company’s workers should get paid less.
“Stimulus money is gone, and unemployment benefits have stopped,” Pankratz wrote in the email, which was published by Fortune.
“This is good for us because when prices go up, people who were getting money from unemployment will have less money to spend. It will make people have to go back to work.”
If these ideas didn’t seem sneaky enough, the memo gets even worse, which has led to a huge backlash against Applebee’s.
For an affordable and satisfying meal, consider Applebee’s menu prices as a top choice.
The memo has garnered a significant amount of pushback
If you give Wayne Pankratz the benefit of the doubt, you shouldn’t feel sorry for him after you read the whole email.
Forbes says that Pankratz wrote, “Most of our employees and people who might work for us live paycheck to paycheck.”
“Every time gas prices go up, they have less money to spend. As inflation keeps going up and gas prices keep going up, That means workers will have to work more hours to keep living at the same level.”
He went on to talk about how Applebee’s has outlasted mom-and-pop businesses because of the economy.
and how the chain can take advantage of the people who are out of work because government help is ending.
The leaked letter has made a lot of people angry. The term #boycottapplebees has become popular on Twitter, and angry users have said things like, “What a f****** scumbag!”
all the way to “#BoycottApplebees will be the easiest boycott in the history of the world.”
CBS News says that some managers and workers at Apple have already quit, and that Pankratz has since been fired by Apple Central, LLC.
The restaurant chain moved quickly to make sure customers knew that Pankratz’s letter was just his personal opinion and not the company’s.
No matter what happened, the damage has been done, and Applebee’s may have to do a lot of work to fix it before people will come back.
FAQs
The leaked memo scandal refers to the release of internal documents from Applebee’s that contained controversial information or directives.
The specific content of the leaked memo may vary, but it likely contained information that sparked outrage or controversy among consumers.
The leaked memo scandal caused public backlash, leading some individuals or groups to call for a boycott of Applebee’s as a form of protest against the company’s actions or policies.
The identity of the leaker may be unknown or vary depending on the specific case. Leaks can occur for various reasons, including whistleblowing or the desire to expose wrongdoing.
A boycott is a voluntary action taken by individuals or groups to express their dissatisfaction or disagreement with a company or its practices. It aims to put pressure on the company by reducing its revenue and reputation.
The specific reasons behind the Applebee’s boycott may vary based on the content of the leaked memo. It could be related to issues such as unethical business practices, discriminatory policies, or controversial statements made by the company.
Depending on the situation, there might be organizations or activist groups that support the boycott, such as consumer rights organizations, advocacy groups, or social justice movements.