Southbridge McDonald's workers shown in viral video have been fired

SOUTHBRIDGE – Two McDonald’s workers, including one who put french fries in her mouth before possibly serving them to a customer, have been fired, according to the restaurant's owner.

The Sellia Group, which owns the McDonald’s at 515 Main St. in Southbridge where the incident occurred, shared the news in a statement.  

“Immediately upon learning of the incident, the individuals were suspended, and after conducting an internal investigation, they are no longer employed by our organization.” 

Southbridge Police Chief Shane Woodson said in a May 12 email that there was no update on what he told the Telegram and Gazette the previous day: that new information could lead to a tampering with food charge against the employees.

The investigation started after a video went viral online, showing an employee twice shoving fries in her mouth before putting them in a serving container. A second McDonald’s employee seen in the video as a participant has also been fired, said the Sellia Group. 

The 14-second video doesn't show the fries being served to a customer and Woodson said May 11 that police haven’t located a customer. 

The woman who put the food in her mouth was a manager at the restaurant, according to Daniel Wasiuk, the public health director in Southbridge. Wasiuk inspected the McDonald's after the investigation started and said he found no health code violations.  

The Sellia Group said it’s cooperating with the investigation. It called the employees’ actions "unacceptable" and not a reflection of the organization’s food-safety standards and values. 

Contact Henry Schwan at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram