Auntie Anne's MY addresses viral photos of employee kissing pretzel dough

Pretzel chain Auntie Anne's Malaysia has released a statement addressing viral photos of its staff member at the Mid Valley Megamall outlet kissing pretzel dough. 

In its statement, Auntie Anne's clarified that the staff, who has been identified as Alice Chang, has been terminated following the incident.

It added that the outlet at Mid Valley Megamall will be closed temporarily for thorough disinfection and cleaning. 

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"At Auntie Anne's Malaysia, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of hygiene and safety for our customers and staff. We do not condone or tolerate any actions that compromise these standards," said Auntie Anne's. 

"As part of our proactive measures, the outlet in question will be temporarily closed for thorough disinfection and cleaning. The outlet will reopen once the disinfection process is completed and all necessary safety protocols are confirmed," it added. 

The incident garnered attention online after Chang posted photos and videos online of her interacting inappropriately with the dough such as kissing and sniffing it. 

Auntie Anne's Malaysia is not the only food chain which gained public attention following the acts of its employees. 

Earlier in June this year, A&W Malaysia found itself in the middle of a cultural sensitivity debate after an employee handed an Indian customer a free beef burger. 

In a video posted on X, the customer, who is Indian and practices Hinduism, ordered six chicken burgers and received an unexpected free beef burger. The customer, who abstains from eating beef as per the religion's practice, had unknowingly consumed the beef burger. 

The video saw a split in comments coming in with some netizens stating that the staff should have informed the customer about the free beef burger and considered the cultural and religious implications.

Other users have come to A&W defense, highlighting that not all Indians are Hindus who abstain from consuming beef. Despite the varying opinions, there were social media users who voiced that A&W should issue a public apology.

Photo courtesy of Auntie Anne's Malaysia, Facebook and Update11111, X 

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