‘Unacceptable’: Steers responds after workers filmed doing gardening

Fast-food chain Steers has moved to distance itself from a viral video showing workers in its branded uniforms performing gardening duties outside one of its restaurants.

This comes after the restaurant received backlash from social media users who accused the company of exploiting staff.

The video which has circulated widely on X shows several men wearing Steers uniforms clearing weeds and carrying out other outdoor maintenance tasks.

In the clip, a passer-by is heard questioning the workers about why they were doing gardening work.

In a media statement Steers confirmed it was aware of the footage, which was recorded on Wednesday.

“Steers is aware of a video showing team members performing gardening tasks outside one of our restaurants on 7 January 2026,” the company said.

Following an internal investigation, Steers said the situation arose after the restaurant manager instructed staff to remove excessive weed growth due to delays in landlord maintenance services after the December festive period.

“Following an immediate investigation, we established that the manager asked team members to remove excessive weed growth due to a delay in landlord maintenance after the December festive period,” the company said.

Steers acknowledged that the decision was inappropriate and not in line with company standards.

“While keeping a clean exterior is important, this work should not be carried out by team members. This is not standard practice at Steers and is unacceptable,” it said.

The company said it had reviewed all instances where similar tasks were carried out at the restaurant and concluded that management had exercised poor judgment.

“We have reviewed all instances where this took place at this restaurant and it’s clear that these individuals made the wrong judgment call,” said Steers.

Steers added that it has issued the franchisee with a formal notice and reiterated that all franchisees are required to comply fully with South African labour legislation as well as the company’s food safety and brand standards

“Steers requires all franchisees to comply fully with South African labour law and our strict food safety and brand standards and has issued the franchisee a formal notice,” the statement said.

The company said it is engaging with the landlord to ensure external service providers are in place for ongoing maintenance.

“The team are engaging with the landlord to ensure that ongoing service providers for exterior maintenance are in place,” said Steers.

In response to the incident, Steers said all managers at the affected restaurant are undergoing immediate retraining.

“All managers at the restaurant are immediately being retrained on labour practices and the importance of staff maintaining role boundaries,” the company said.

It added that clearer operational guidelines are being implemented across the brand to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The company concluded by reaffirming its commitment to staff welfare and dignity.

“Steers is committed to addressing practices that undermine our food safety standards and the dignity and working conditions of our staff. We value our customers and team members deeply and they are always our top priority,” the statement said.

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