Wendy’s worker with Down syndrome fired after 20 years, and thousands rally behind him
Dennis Peek had always planned on retiring from the Wendy’s he worked at for over 20 years.
So when he was fired from the Wendy’s in Stanley, North Carolina, he was devastated, his sister wrote Oct. 5 on Facebook.
Thousands of people rallied behind Peek online after his termination, which management said was because Peek couldn’t “perform the duties of a normal person’s job,” Turner said she was told.
Peek has Down syndrome, his sister said.
The company that operates the Wendy’s franchise in Stanley, Carolina Restaurant Group, called their decision to let go of Peek a “mistake,” TODAY reported.
McClatchy News reached out to Wendy’s for comment on Oct. 10 and is awaiting a response.
Carolina Restaurant Group told TODAY that it is “committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our employees and customers…this was a very unfortunate mistake and lapse in protocol.”
After Turner shared the story of Peek’s termination on Facebook, it has received nearly 12,000 likes, 5,000 comments and 13,000 shares as of Oct. 10.
Turner also updated her post, saying that Wendy’s had offered Peek his job position back.
“We value Dennis, have been in touch with his family, and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to work in the restaurant or working with his family to celebrate him in a big way should he choose to retire after an impressive 20-year career,” Carolina Restaurant Group said in its statement, Insider reported. “He will always be welcome and have a home at our restaurant.”
Turner told the community her brother would not be returning. Instead, she would be throwing him a massive retirement party that he had always wanted.
“Dennis will not be returning to Wendy’s, He will be having his big retirement party that he has been wanting,” Turner said. “Wendy’s has offered to help with expenses and anything else they can for his special day. I feel in my heart at this point I should do what is best for my brother.”
Turner told WSOC one of the most difficult parts of the situation was navigating the conversation with Peek.
“He don’t understand, and we can’t tell him he was terminated,” she told WSOC, and added on her Facebook that he didn’t “understand being fired.”
Turner said that the support for her brother from the community has been overwhelming, and she’s planning on creating an event page on Facebook to invite the community to Peek’s retirement party.
People can also send letters and cards to Peek using the address Turner shared on her Facebook.
“My heart is overwhelmed by the support that you all have given my brother and myself,” Turner said. “Thank you all so much.”
Stanley is about 20 miles northwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Wendy’s worker with Down syndrome fired after 20 years, and thousands rally behind him."
