VACAVILLE, Calif. (KCBS) — A group of employees at a Noah's Bagels in Vacaville garnered national headlines after a viral TikTok video shows them walk out and quit their jobs all at once due to what they claim was the wrongful termination of their general manager.
The viral 10-second clip from user Beonce Sarmiento shows Sarmiento and 15 other employees walking out of the bagel chain's Nut Tree Plaza location with the caption, "Say no to toxic management."
The video, posted on Jan. 15, has already amassed over 4 million views and almost 750,000 likes.
"We're not replaceable," Sarmiento told KCRA. "We're not disposable and you can't just fire somebody and not let them know."
According to the station, the store's former general manager Bre Kowalski was fired by her district manager on Friday, due to what she was told was likely "a customer complaint" though Kowalski denied any such complaint existing. She later was told she was fired because of a different issue that happened when she wasn't at the store. Kowalski told the outlet nobody has returned her calls since and still does not know why she was let go.
The station reported this was the final straw over a build up of issues.
"We take the treatment of our team members very seriously and are looking into this matter. As an organization, we pride ourselves on providing a rewarding work experience for all our team members as we seek to provide the best possible experience for our guests," officials from Noah's Bagels told KCBS Radio in response to the exodus. They declined to answer any further questions regarding the situation.
After her video went viral and the walkout received extensive local and national media coverage, Sorriento posted a follow-up TikTok video on Tuesday thanking people for their support and said that in the end they are just asking for "the respect upper management expects us to give them."
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