Cinnabon Worker Fired After Viral Video Shows Racist Attack On Somali Customers In Wisconsin

Cinnabon Employee Dismissed After Viral Incident In Ashwaubenon

A Cinnabon employee at a franchise in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, was fired after a Dec. 6 TikTok clip showed the worker directing racist language and obscene gestures at two Somali customers. The video, which circulated widely on social media, captured the employee saying she was “racist” and using the N-word (censored here as “N-word”), flipping her middle fingers and making explicit gestures toward the customers.

According to the person who posted the video, one of the customers is their cousin. In the recording the employee also responds to a customer’s question — “What’s wrong with you?” — with expletive-laced insults. A second video shared by the same poster alleges the same worker mocked a woman’s hijab after the customer asked for extra caramel on a caramel-pecan cinnamon roll.

“I am racist and I’ll say it to the whole entire world. Don’t be disrespectful,” the employee is heard saying in the clip.

Cinnabon addressed the incident publicly in the comments on the TikTok post and on X, calling the footage “disturbing” and saying it did not condone the behavior. The company said the franchise owner "immediately terminated" the employee and added that the actions do not reflect the brand’s values or the welcoming experience every guest deserves.

A GoFundMe campaign was created to support the couple, identified by the organizer as a Black Somali Muslim pair, who the fundraiser described as traumatized by the episode. The organizer said the cousin called crying after the incident and now fears going out in public.

Community Response

The video prompted condemnation on social media and expressions of support for the affected couple. The franchise owner’s swift termination and the corporate statement followed the circulation of the footage and the organizer’s fundraising effort to assist the victims.

Note: Sensitive language appearing in public videos is represented here in a censored form ("N-word") out of respect for readers and communities affected by racial slurs.