All he wanted to do was share his best assets. Could he help it if the world was not ready to see what he offered ... while lying on a restaurant chain's kitchen table? A man calling himselfJustin Speekz was fired from Chili's after posing shirtless and, you guessed it, posting the photos on Facebook. Speekz labeled the pictures "Sexy Cooks of Chili's" and even tagged the chain, a bold decision that bespeaks the confidence he has in the power of his shirtless charisma. Alas, that charisma has its limits.
A concerned customer saw the photos and alerted the restaurant. While the photos were originally posted publicly, they're no longer available for your viewing pleasure; since the story broke, Speekz either removed them or changed his privacy settings. But the damage was done -- he was fired from his job.
Chili's released a statement in response to the incident.
Chili's clearly does not encourage this type of behavior in our restaurants. We maintain very high standards of food quality, safety and cleanliness and took immediate steps to ensure the restaurant continues to follow these requirements. Additionally, we ended this team member's employment after learning of his conduct.
Here's the funny thing, though -- even though Speekz was lying on a prep table in one of the pictures, he wasn't technically violating any food safety regulations, according to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. And a surprise inspection of the restaurant did not reveal any critical violations.
More from The Stir: 5 of Restaurants' Dirtiest Secrets You'll Wish You Didn't Know
I mean, sure, this is still a food safety concern. But I think we know what the real problem here is: Speekz was upstaging the new Southern Smokehouse burger. And Chili's can't have that. This is the most exciting things that's happened at a Chili's since ... ever. If you're a restaurant, all the buzz should be about the foods, NOT THE DUDES.
While Speekz's look isn't quite my cup of tea, I am still highly amused. Hope someone else -- with a sense of humor -- gives him a job after this.
[code][/code]
What do you think -- should Speekz have been fired or was that too harsh?
Image © iStock.com/ARSELA