*A Chick-fil-A franchise owner is going viral after a locksmith arrived at her restaurant and refused to recognize her as the person in charge.
Shelita Jaclyn, who documents her business owner journey on TikTok under the handle @operatorinchief, posted a video about the confrontation that has since racked up more than 5.1 million views. The situation unfolded after her husband, who holds a maintenance and operations role within her business, arranged for a locksmith to visit the restaurant. Shelita stepped out of the kitchen to greenlight the work, but the contractor was not willing to move forward.
Even after she introduced herself as the owner, the locksmith stood his ground and insisted on speaking to whoever had contacted him by phone. He told her, “No ma’am, I need you to go get the owner so I can make sure it is okay with him.” Shelita pushed back, but the contractor raised his finger toward her face and doubled down, saying, “The person I talked to on the phone was a man.”
The locksmith decided to phone her husband for backup. The conversation quickly backfired. Her husband made his position plain, telling the contractor, “Sir, that’s not my restaurant. That’s my wife’s restaurant. Is she not there?” The locksmith had no response and disconnected the call. Shelita captured the moment perfectly, saying he went from “confident contractor to Windows 95 error screen.”
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The contractor then asked Shelita if he could proceed with the work. Her answer was swift: “You could, but you won’t.” She dismissed him and brought in a different contractor to complete the work.
The exchange reflects a workplace reality that female business owners know all too well — assumptions about male authority in trades-based industries continue to create unnecessary friction.
@operatorinchief Storytime! It’s been a pleasure to serve you ? #womeninbusiness #momtok #fyp #boss #storytimes ♬ original sound – Shelita Jaclyn
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