Pop-Up Chicken Shop Holiday Pay Fiasco | Peoria News

Peoria News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 13, 2026 · 1m

Pop-Up Chicken Shop’s owner Aaron Francis is facing backlash after firing six employees over a holiday pay mix-up — a mistake he admits was in an outdated handbook. Workers called out on July 4th, and Francis let them go because they wouldn’t show up without time-and-a-half pay, which he says was never the policy. He claims he corrected the error ten days prior via app alerts and meetings, but the fallout went viral. Francis admits he got emotional in his public responses, felt betrayed by longtime staff, and even mentioned his arthritis may have affected his leadership. Now he’s updated the…