Here's a news story no brand manager wants to hear about.
Apparently an employee of a Sonic drive-in restaurant in Missouri was using the facility as a meth lab.
And got caught mixing up the drug inside the fast food joint, while wearing his Sonic uniform.
Police found chemicals used to make methamphetamine on the restaurant's floor, including lithium and Sudafed.
The folks at Sonic must be hoping that all of this goes away, fast.
"The health department is making them [Sonic employees] throw awayeverything from sugar packets and straws to food and making themthoroughly clean the facility," Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Jason Selzertold Slashfood on Friday.
Christi Woodworth, Sonic's director of external communications, toldSlashfood that the department of health had closed the drive-in onThursday, but that it was scheduled to reopen this afternoon.
But how to clean up Sonic's brand reputation?
So far, Sonic's public response has been to say they are "...fully cooperating with the police investigation into this incident...This is a very unpleasant situation and we regret the effect this may have had on our employees or our loyal customers."
The Sonic spokesperson (Woodworth) emphasized that the man arrested for using Sonic as a methlab was a shift manager -- not the general manager of the drive-in. "He has worked for the drive-in for less than a year and his employment has been terminated," she said.
While this is an extreme example of how employee behavior can either improve or mess up your brand reputation, it is something to think about.
Source: Slashfood
