Fired, pregnant Popeye's worker offered job back
CHANNELVIEW, Texas - The pregnant Popeye's manager who says she was fired because she wouldn't repay money stolen during an armed robbery, has been offered her job back, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.
Marissa Holcomb, who is a mother of three with a fourth child on the way, reportedly met with Z & H Foods owner Amin Dhanani on Wednesday.
"He just apologized and pretty much offered me if I wanted to go back to his business and work there again," she said.
Dhanani had reportedly argued that Holcomb was fired because she broke policy multiple times by leaving too much money in the register. But Holcomb said the day of the robbery - March 31 - was a busy Tuesday when they offer a 2-piece chicken meal for $1.19 and she moved money as fast as she could.
The unidentified robber got away with nearly $400.
"I told them I'm not paying nothing," Holcomb said. "I just had a gun to me, I'm not paying the money."
Surveillance video shows a man run into the restaurant with a beanie over his face while waving a gun. He forced all employees to the floor, then turned his attention to Holcomb.
"By the back of my shirt, he pulled me up and he pushed me to the front," she said. "He told me to give him everything out of my safe."
But the only thing she could open were the registers.
Holcomb claimed after the robbery one of her managers gave her an ultimatum: Pay the money back or lose her job.
"I don't think it's right because now I'm struggling for my family because what I had to do to keep my life," she said.
Dhanani refused to talk to KHOU on camera Wednesday, but his company released a statement that reads:
"We deeply regret the way this matter was handled. We are committed to continuing to work with Ms. Holcomb, and we apologize to her, our employees, the public and other franchise operators of the Popeye's system. We have let them down and are committed to do better."
Popeyes CEO Cheryl Bachelder released the following statement Wednesday evening.
"We recently became aware of a story in Houston involving a Popeye's restaurant and employee. The restaurant is operated by an independent franchisee of the Popeye's brand. We have spoken to the local franchise owner of the restaurant, and he has taken immediate action to reach out to the employee to apologize and rectify the situation. While the facts are gathered, we will closely monitor this until it is appropriately resolved. We deeply regret the distress this situation has caused."
Holcomb is not only being offered her old position, but $2,000 in back pay. For the pregnant mother of three, the decision is tough.
"I do need a way to support my kids," she says. "I don't want to go back to a business where I'm treated the same and I just get pushed back out if something else happened."