NATION-WORLD

WATCH: Viral video shows Florida Wendy’s employee taking bath in kitchen sink

Heather Osbourne hosbourne@nwfdailynews.com

A video of a former Wendy’s employee bathing in an industrial sink at the franchise’s Milton, Fla., location has gone viral.

Haley Leach of Milton, who posted the video late Tuesday, took a screen recording of a Snapchat video showing the male employee stepping into a sink full of soapy water in the eatery’s kitchen. The employee was wearing only a pair of shorts.

The owners of the Wendy’s in Milton provided a statement about the incident Wednesday afternoon. Mike Johnson, director of marketing for the company, would not comment further.

“We are taking this incident seriously and it is obviously totally unacceptable,” the statement said. “This was a prank by a person who no longer works at this restaurant, and who clearly did not use good judgment. We are taking this opportunity to reinforce our very strict quality procedures with our restaurant team.”

The video was shared nearly 7,000 times and acquired nearly 3,000 comments.

Employees laughed in the background of the video while one female repeatedly said, “Take a bath.” The employee submerged in the sink full of water was handed a paper towel after he began washing his armpits. He then used the paper towel to wash other parts of his body.

According to Patrick Fargason, communications director for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants was notified about the incident late Tuesday. Fargason said inspectors planned to go to the Wendy’s to investigate.

An investigation report was published by 3 p.m. Wednesday. The restaurant’s manager was instructed on sanitation, safety requirements and the importance of active managerial control, the report said.

The eatery passed the inspection.

The Wendy’s remained open throughout the day Wednesday as customers continued to order food. The managers and employees, however, would not comment about the incident.

Leach said she shared the video on her Facebook page because she felt the public had the right to know what was happening while the business was operating. Leach said she knows one of the individuals from high school.

“The actions in the video were appalling and I felt like the public had the right to know ... ,” she said to the Northwest Florida Daily News through Facebook Messenger.