Petro waitress loses her job after two HR complaints. Then she discovers who was behind it: ‘because you are so evil’

A waitress at a Petro restaurant said she was fired from her job after two HR complaints were filed against her. In a video posted on TikTok, the woman, who goes by ThatGirl@IronSkillet (@ataylor414) and identifies herself as Amber, said she found out her own mother was behind both complaints.

The video, which shows Amber sitting in what appears to be a back office at the restaurant with a stack of receipts in front of her, has been viewed 4.7 million times and received more than 442,600 likes and 8,300 comments.

In the TikTok video, Amber said she was doing a “final checkout” as a waitress at the restaurant for the last time. She explained that she had received HR complaints for the first time in her life, and that both complaints came from her mother.

Waitress says she was fired after her mother reported her to HR

In the original video, Amber said, “I’ve had a couple HR complaints in the last few weeks. I’ve never gotten an HR complaint in my life, ever.” She said, “Those two complaints came from my mother. Those complaints just got me terminated from my job. My own mother.”

She then addressed her mother directly in the video, saying, “So I would like to say a public thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mom.” She said her two sons would be affected by the job loss, adding, “Your two grandsons will be the only people to suffer from this, and you don’t care enough because you are so evil.”

Amber became visibly emotional during the video, with tears on her face. She ended the video saying, “Oh, you’re a monster. You’re a monster. You’re a f–king monster, and you’re gonna rot in hell.” Family conflicts can spill into the workplace, as when a woman alleged her husband and sister were cheating and claimed her mother called her at work offering hush money. 

In a follow-up video posted on TikTok, Amber explained more about her relationship with her mother. She said her mother used to work at the same Petro location and knew many of the employees there. She said she had been posting TikTok videos from work for over a year without any issue from her mother.

Amber said the problem started after her mother began spending time with her ex-husband and her sister’s ex, with whom her sister shares children. She said her mother became upset once she began holding her accountable for her actions. “Now that I hold her accountable for her actions and call it like I see it and call it what it is, she’s mad,” Amber said.

She said her mother’s response was to call HR and report her for violating the company handbook. Amber admitted she was in violation of the handbook. She said, “I got fired from my job. I’m going to take it on the chin and I’m going to come back.” She ended the video by saying she would not have to “sell p–sy” like her mother does.

In another follow-up TikTok video, Amber gave more details about what her employer told her. She said her mother’s call to HR was “a step up from what would be like basic corporate complaints.” She said her district manager told her that some of the content she posted, including cursing and a video about something she called the “Philly Sidecar,” did not align with the company’s standards.

Amber said she was not denying that posting in her uniform was against policy. However, she said the issue had never come up before, even though people from corporate had reportedly seen her videos. She said, “It’s been brought to my attention by a few people in corporate that they’ve seen it, and there was never a problem.”

Viewers reacted to the video in the comments section. One commenter wrote, “Your employer is so wrong for this.” Another wrote, “omg what kind of mom does that.” One commenter who said they run a fractional HR consulting firm offered to help, writing, “I own a fractional HR consulting firm, I would love to talk to you about what exactly happened, maybe I can help you?”

Some commenters criticized the restaurant chain directly. One wrote, “any company that fires an employee because the employee’s mother complained, is not a place I would do business with. BOYCOTT IRON SKILLET.” Another wrote, “SHAME ON YOUR EMPLOYER.” Such outrage has followed other restaurant firings, like when a Texas taco restaurant employee was fired after calling 911 for a snake bite. 

Other commenters questioned parts of Amber’s story. One asked, “If you were terminated why would they let you count yourself out and be in an office alone to be able to record.”