South Jersey Waitress Fired After Voicing Concern About Dog Left in Car

A waitress at the Millville Longhorn Steakhouse was fired last week for comments she made to customers who had left their dog in their car while they were eating.

Cristal Perez, 23, of Mays Landing, says she spoke up to her customers at the restaurant last Tuesday when she saw their little brown, black and white dog had been left in the car for about an hour while the couple dined on a warm, summer day.

According to the Press of Atlantic City, "Perez said she told the couple that leaving the dog in the car was “wrong” and that she told the woman “she was lucky to be leaving before the cops came.”

The dog's owners complained to restaurant management about Perez's comments and she was immediately suspended from her job. When Perez returned to Longhorn from her suspension on Sunday, she was told she was being fired for violating restaurant policy.

A spokesman for Longhorn Steakhouse Restaurant said the dog had been left in an air-conditioned, running car and was never in any danger. He said company policy is for servers to treat customers with respect and report any issues to a manager, who will address them.

A spokesman for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, condemned the firing.

“In any situation that has a compassionate citizen doing something to help an animal, most people would be rewarded and not get a pink slip,” said PETA Outreach Coordinator Dan Carron. “Those people should be looked at as heroes and not lose their jobs.”

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