Parents say daughter was fired from Moorhead ice cream shop after customer left $100 tip
Apr. 29—MOORHEAD — A local soft serve ice cream shop is under fire on social media for allegedly firing an employee after a customer left a large tip.
In a Facebook post, Seth and Lisa Swenson claimed their daughter was fired from The Freez in Moorhead on Thursday, April 25, after a customer left a $100 tip for her. In a Monday afternoon Facebook post, the business said there is more to the story.
According to the post by the Swensons, their daughter was offered the $100 tip by a customer but told the customer she could not accept it.
"The customer put $100 in the tip jar and drove away," the Swensons said. "At the end of her shift, our daughter's employer was upset and accused our daughter of 'taking' $100 from a customer."
The Freez prohibits accepting bills over $20 as a form of payment, the post said, but does not include anything in their company policy about tips.
Included in the post was a photo of a written employee warning notice from The Freez, which the Swensons said their daughter received on April 24.
"Emily needs to understand that some of our customers are elderly and could be dealing with dementia or other illnesses that make it hard for them to understand their actions," the warning notice said. "No one in their right frame of mind tips $100 at a place where every menu item is under $12."
Employees have a responsibility to protect the reputation of the business, the warning said.
"If the customer is dealing with issues and the family finds out that she was allowed to put $100 in the tip jar, The Freez will be looked down upon as a place that takes advantage of the elderly," the notice said. "Looking out for customers should take priority over the opportunity to get a tip."
In their post, the Swensons said their daughter was fired from the business a day after receiving the written notice. It's not clear if anything happened between the notice being issued and the employee being fired.
"Our daughter appreciates the generosity of the lady who tipped her and feels that this kind lady is in no way responsible for what happened," the Swensons said in their Facebook post. They said their daughter recently started working her fifth season at The Freez.
Lorraine Moore, owner of The Freez, declined an interview, but a statement was posted to the Moorhead Freez Facebook page on Monday afternoon.
"We did not terminate the adult at will employee of 5 years for accepting a tip. There's more to the story," the post said. "We won't go into details, it's a personal matter. However, we believe that if parents are posting for an adult child- they haven't asked the right questions of their adult daughter."
Moore was announced as the
new owner of the ice cream shop
in February.
Seth and Lisa Swenson did not respond to a Facebook message asking for comment.
Since the Swensons shared their post on April 28, it has gained more than 1,000 reactions and has been shared hundreds of times.
Facebook users have flooded the reviews section of Moorhead Freez's Facebook page with negative reviews. While many posting reviews appear to live in the Fargo-Moorhead area, others live in other states, according to their profiles.
Comments range from disappointed to accusatory.
"There are much better ice cream shops in the area. AVOID," wrote one Facebook user.
"In a world where it's hard to keep people showing up to work, Moorhead Freez decides to demonstrate why," another user wrote. "I hope the affected employee finds work that appreciates her in the future."
The Freez addressed the online backlash in its post.
"Ice cream makes people happy," the post said. "Social media bullying- not so much."
