An Alabama sushi worker filmed emptying a porch candy bowl said she went back to apologize, but the homeowner said she never did, so she was fired

An Alabama sushi restaurant fired an employee after doorbell camera footage appeared to show her emptying a porch candy bowl on Halloween night. The restaurant said she was let go for being dishonest after she claimed she had returned to the home to apologize.

As reported by AL.com, the incident happened in Helena, Alabama, when two adult women came across an unattended bowl of candy on a porch. The footage appears to show one of them scooping up as much candy as she could.

The woman who took the large handful was wearing a shirt for a sushi restaurant in the nearby city of Hoover. The video drew backlash online, and the restaurant issued a statement saying it did not condone behavior that takes away from children or the community and was looking into the situation.

The homeowner’s account did not match the employee’s

The restaurant later confirmed the woman in the shirt was an employee. The employee told her bosses she had returned to the home to apologize and give back the candy she took, but the homeowner told the business a different story. He said the only apology he received came from the other woman in the video, not the employee.

The restaurant then fired the worker, not only for taking the candy but for “being dishonest.” Explaining the decision, the restaurant cited “lying to us after knowing how important everything is.” It added that it had told her how important the matter was to the business and to the entire community. Viral clips can reach an employer quickly, as an Alabama woman who says she was fired over workplace TikToks found.

Porch bowls rely on visitors taking only their share, and candy is one of the biggest Halloween expenses for households. The National Retail Federation projected that Americans would spend $4.1 billion on Halloween candy in 2026, with 96% of consumers planning to buy sweets. Handing out candy was also the most popular way people planned to celebrate, and total Halloween spending was expected to reach $13.5 billion.

Alabama is an at-will employment state, according to a state labor and employment law guide from the law firm Baker Donelson. That generally means either the employer or the employee can end the working relationship at any time and for any reason. The guide lists three general exceptions under state law: whistleblower protection, anti-discrimination laws, and anti-retaliation laws.