Steers responds to viral video of staff performing gardening duties
Viral video reveals Steers fast-food staff engaged in gardening duties instead of serving customers, igniting discussions on management practices.
Image: screenshot
STEERS has distanced itself from a viral video showing restaurant staff performing gardening duties outside one of its outlets, describing the incident as “unacceptable” and “not standard practice.”
The footage, which circulated widely on social media this week, sparked public outrage and raised concerns about labour practices after employees were seen clearing weeds and maintaining the exterior of the Menlo Park restaurant in Pretoria while dressed in full uniform.
Steers, in a statement confirmed that an internal investigation had revealed the instruction was given by the restaurant manager, who asked team members to remove excessive weed growth due to a delay in landlord maintenance following the December festive period.
“While keeping a clean exterior is important, this work should not be carried out by team members. This is not standard practice at Steers and is unacceptable,” read the statement.
The company said it had taken “firm actions” in response to the incident. “The franchisee has been issued a formal notice,” Steers stated.
“The team are engaging with the landlord to ensure that ongoing service providers for exterior maintenance are in place.”
“All managers at the restaurant are immediately being retrained on labour practices and the importance of staff maintaining role boundaries,” added Steers
“Steers is implementing clearer operational guidelines to prevent anything of this nature from happening again.”
The company reaffirmed its commitment to upholding South African labour law, food safety standards, and the dignity and working conditions of its staff.
“We value our customers and team members deeply, and they are always our top priority!”