A short, raw clip posted to social media has upended an ordinary shopping trip in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin — and cost a retail bakery employee her job.
What happened
Video from the Cinnabon stand in Bay Park Square Mall shows a woman behind the counter repeatedly hurling insults at a couple who recorded the interaction. According to the footage and local reports, the two customers are Somali; the exchange escalated after the woman requested more caramel on her order and the employee allegedly mocked her hijab.
At one point the employee declares “I am racist,” uses the N-word, flips off the couple with both middle fingers and makes lewd gestures. The people recording can be heard confronting her and warning that the clip would cost her her job. Within hours the franchise owner had fired the employee and Cinnabon issued a statement saying the actions “do not reflect our values or the welcoming experience every guest deserves.” The company noted the bakery is independently owned and operated.
Details and community reaction
Local outlets and national outlets that picked up the video described the exchange in similar terms: insults, profanity and a deliberate embrace of racist language by the staffer. The couple later received support from people online; a GoFundMe was set up to help them after the incident, and the person who posted the clip said the woman in the video was their cousin and was left shaken by the encounter.
The incident landed in a broader conversation about anti-immigrant rhetoric and how quickly moments of bigotry can spread across social platforms. Researchers and reporters have been tracking how low-quality, viral content circulates and shifts public attention; recent reporting on social-media effects touches on how clips like this amplify harm while shaping perceptions in real time a study on social media's impact. The rapid pace at which short videos travel — and the concerns that come with new distribution tools — is part of the background to this story debates over fast-moving media and tech features.
Cinnabon said the employee was “immediately terminated by the franchise owner” and that such behavior is unacceptable. The bakery chain responded on X (formerly Twitter), echoing that the actions seen in the video “do not reflect our values.” Local immigrant advocacy groups and an immigrant resource center in Green Bay called for unity and support for the affected couple.
Why it matters
The clip is a reminder of several things at once: how everyday encounters can be weaponized into evidence of wider social tensions, how employers respond when racist behavior goes public, and how victims can be retraumatized by having their mistreatment replayed online. For franchise businesses, the episode also underscores that individual actions by employees can quickly become corporate problems — even when the location is independently owned.
For the couple involved, the fallout has been personal. Reports say the woman who was targeted felt embarrassed and frightened afterward; friends and family described her as traumatized and reluctant to go out. For the community, the episode fed anxieties already heightened by national rhetoric and immigration enforcement actions that some residents say single out Somali communities.
This story continues to evolve. Local outlets say they are attempting to reach the couple for comment, and the franchise has confirmed the termination but offered no further public details about discipline or training changes at the store.
If you witnessed the incident or have information, local newsrooms are asking people to come forward so that reporting can reflect as complete a picture as possible. For community members seeking support after witnessing or experiencing racial harassment, local immigrant resource organizations can provide assistance.