Chick-fil-A’s beloved mac and cheese earned an unexpected spotlight on April 30 when Keyshun Jones, a former employee of the fast-food chain, made headlines for allegedly using it to execute an $80K theft scheme.
The felony took place in November 2025, a month after Jones was fired from a Grapevine, Dallas, Texas, outlet.
Social media users reacted with a mix of criticism and skepticism.
One faction said Jones was caught due to his “own stupidity.” Another pointed out that the “math doesn’t add up” in the case.
Chick-fil-A employee accused of $80K theft has been arrested
Image credits: Chick-fil-A
Grapevine police claimed that, even after being fired, Jones kept returning to the restaurant.
He allegedly gained access to a register while unattended, where he entered roughly 800 fraudulent orders for catering-sized trays of macaroni and cheese.
Following the input of these fake orders, he would immediately process refunds for the transactions directly to his own personal credit cards.
The amount totaled over $80,000.
This scheme continued until the franchise owner reported the theft to the police on November 29, 2025.
Image credits: Chick-fil-A
The concerning franchise owner showed police surveillance footage of Jones standing at the register.
Following a five-month investigation, a warrant was issued for his arrest on April 6, according to Fox News.
Jones was apprehended by the Texas Attorney General Fugitive Task Force and the Fort Worth Police Department on April 17 after allegedly evading justice multiple times.
Image credits: City of Grapevine
Jones is facing charges of property theft, money laundering, and dodging arrest, per police.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.
The reason for Jones’s firing from Chick-fil-A remains unclear.
Social media users reacted to the fiasco with both confusion and humor
Image credits: GameChangerNick
Image credits: www.chick-fil-a.com
“800 orders of mac and cheese resulted in an $80K scam? They cost $100 each?” one asked, to which another responded, “They don’t cost anywhere near $100.”
A third asked, “You can’t refund it until it’s been paid. Who paid initially?”
“How did he get access to the register after being fired?” questioned another, adding, “Their management needs a system to lock out fired employees.”
Image credits: Getty Images
“He would’ve gotten away with it if he hadn’t used only mac and cheese. Mac and cheese this day, fries that day, a chicken sandwich the next. This would have looked less suspicious,” advised a separate user.
Several others, meanwhile, joked that he must have said “my pleasure” every time he transferred money to his own account.
They referred to Chick-fil-A’s longstanding policy of employees responding to customers with those words rather than a simple “you’re welcome” in return for “thank you.”
Image credits: cerogasoline
Image credits: City of Grapevine
Founder S. Truett Cathy noticed Ritz-Carlton hotel employees saying it and wanted to bring that elevated level of customer service to his restaurant.
It is designed to make customers feel valued and demonstrate a sincere desire to serve.
Earlier this month, Chick-fil-A made headlines over a separate controversy involving former employees
Image credits: AutismCapital
Image credits: Chick-fil-A
On March 20, TikToker IIand1n posted a clip of himself and fellow Chick-fil-A employees dancing to a remix of Wanna Mingle and Top of the Cars.
They bounced their chests to the beat of the music, following a popular TikTok trend.
The video, captioned “My CFA crew better than yours,” went viral, racking up more than 5 million views.
The content creator shared a second video on March 26, revealing that the video got him and his seven co-workers fired overnight.
Image credits: lland1n
The internet was divided over the disciplinary action they received, as some saw it as an overreaction while others argued it was important for Chick-fil-A to uphold the brand’s standards by setting an example.
“A write-up and a takedown would have sufficed,” one said.
“It’s sad they lost their job over having fun when they were closed and cleaning,” another added.
“They should all band together and open a new place where this is their signature greeting,” advised a third.
One person in favor of Chick-fil-A commented, “How do people think this is okay to do at work?” while a second asserted, “If I were the owner, I would fire all of them too.”
It remains unclear which Chick-fil-A branch the video was filmed at.
While the content creator’s TikTok bio listed Broward County, Florida, as his location, several of his previous posts tagged the Tuskegee University location in Alabama as his workplace.
“Don’t we all deserve $80,000 in Mac and Cheese money,” a netizen joked
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