Chowking crew going house-to-house to boost sales draws criticisms

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A video of a female crew of a Chowking fast food resto going house-to-house in a subdivision just to boost their poor sales has raised criticisms online, prompting the fast-food chain management to review and stop the said practice.

The video was uploaded on TikTok by Maria Cabral (@cabralmaria_) on Sunday, November 26, showing a female crew asking her and neighbors in a subdivision in Ecoland for orders.

Cabral approached and interviewed the worker, identified as Shella in her nametag, who said she was required by her branch manager of SM City Davao to go outside of their store to look for customers because of their poor sales.

“We need to find a way to grow our sales because it is also our job,” she explained in the video.

When asked how she would deliver their orders, Sheila said she would have to shell out her money for jeepney fare and work fast to deliver their food.

The video showed Sheila was able to deliver the orders in the subdivision after an hour and earned 2,000 pesos from going house to house. She consented to have the video posted.

Cabral explained in the video that she is posting this to raise concern on this practice made by Chowking SM City Davao branch

“It is a 15-minute walk to get to where this is filmed. She had to go back and forth three times just to deliver the food. There’s nothing but an umbrella, they didn’t give her water or allowance to use a jeep or tricycle. (I’m) very disappointed with the whole situation,” Cabral said.

The video reached 488,000 reactions, 6,360 comments, and 10,500 shares on TikTok; it has already spread on Facebook.

Chowking’s national management released a statement on that day saying it has “put the activity on hold while the guidelines to ensure compliance with our standards are undergoing review.”

The management assured they are not firing Shella over this video, saying she is “a valued member of the store”, and further said they are “upholding ethical standards in conducting business, and the safety and well-being of our team members remain our top priority.”

Netizens have criticized this practice, while some shared that they have seen similar practices over the years, including service workers selling food in bus terminals.

Chowking, which has over 500 stores nationwide, is part of the Jollibee Foods Corporation, one of the top food service businesses in the country.

Its owner, Tony Tan Caktiong, is the ninth richest Filipino businessman according to Forbes Philippines with a net worth of $1.2 billion.

Jollibee Foods has its own share of complaints from workers regarding work conditions and low wages. (davaotoday.com)