McDonald's workers fired after viral video shows fries put back in box

McDonald’s workers at 515 East Main St. in Southbridge lost their jobs after a viral video showed an employee putting fries in her mouth and then back into a box meant for customers. The firing turned a single lapse into a store-level crisis, drawing in police, health officials and franchise owners as the footage spread online and customers recoiled.

Southbridge police said they received numerous calls, online tips and media inquiries after the clip circulated. Officers were working with the Southbridge Board of Health and restaurant management to figure out whether the food was actually served to a customer and to identify anyone who may have been affected. As of the initial reporting, no customer had come forward and no victim had been identified.

The franchise owners, identified as the Spadea & Balducci families, operating as Sellia Group, said the workers were suspended immediately after they learned of the incident and later were no longer employed. They said the conduct was unacceptable and did not reflect their food-safety standards or values. The company also said local authorities and the local health department had found no public health concerns or violations.

Daniel Wasiuk, Southbridge’s health director, said he inspected the McDonald’s and found no health code violations. He also said the health department’s phones had been ringing nonstop since the video surfaced. Boston 25 News reported that the town health department planned to visit every food vendor in Southbridge that month for training and retraining if needed, a sign that the fallout stretched beyond one restaurant and into the broader local food-service workforce.

Police chief Shane Woodson said the investigation remained active and that new information could lead to tampering-with-food charges. For McDonald’s crews and franchise managers, the episode was a reminder of how fast a camera-phone incident can move from an internal discipline issue to a public trust problem, with one video putting pressure on supervisors, coworkers and owners all at once. Local reaction was blunt, with residents calling the video disgusting and saying they would avoid the restaurant and fast food for a while.