Subway worker falls asleep while making customer's sandwich: 'I can’t imagine how underslept she is'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 19, 2020. It has since been updated.

A TikTok user got a bit more than they'd bargained for on their sandwich at a Subway store when the staff member preparing their meal dozed off while on the job. The understandably taken aback customer managed to capture the unexpected sight on camera which, since being posted on social media, has sparked a heated debate online with netizens expressing concern for the Subway worker. The video — posted on TikTok — set off a world of speculations as people tried to make sense of why the unidentified staff member might've fallen asleep while in the process of preparing a sandwich.

Sharing the video on the social media platform, TikTok user @ss4xgoku1 wrote: "Like [for real]... I just wanted a Sandwich bro." The video shows the Subway worker sprinkling something onto a haphazard arrangement of sandwich toppings before slowly nodding off. Her head gradually lowers until it rests on the open sandwich and stays there until the video ends a couple of seconds later. "This lady fell asleep on my sandwich" reads the caption on top of the video which has garnered over 39k comments so far.

It eventually made its way to Twitter where a user, @iJustBeKoolin, claimed that the incident occurred at a Subway in Oregon. While some thought the video was hilarious, others found it to be heartbreaking. "This is actually really sad. I can’t imagine how underslept she is. Not to mention the wage people get paid at Subway... She deserves better," wrote a TikTok user named Monique Emilia. Skincare influencer Hyram expressed similar sentiments in a comment which reads: "Poor thing... Can’t imagine how underslept she is, we’re too hard on service workers."

YouTuber Garrett Watts agreed, writing: "Man this is more heartbreaking than anything. I hope she's ok." According to Business Insider, the average hourly wage of a Subway worker was reportedly anywhere between $8 and $9 in 2019; considerably lower than the $15 per hour demanded by the Fight for $15 movement. This movement, which involves fast-food workers, home health aides, childcare teachers, airport workers, adjunct professors, retail employees, and more, points out that while "low-wage employers everywhere are making billions of dollars in profit and pushing off costs onto taxpayers," those who do the actual labor are left struggling to make ends meet.

"We can’t feed our families, pay our bills, or even keep a roof over our heads on minimum wage pay," states the movement which started in 2012 when two hundred fast-food workers walked off the job to demand $15/hr and union rights in New York City. Meanwhile, many netizens speculated that the Subway worker in the now-viral video may not have been overworked as many suggested, but rather under the influence of drugs while on the job. "That is not 'no sleep' or 'underslept'... That's knodding [sic] out... Strong drugs, unfortunately. If you know, you know... I wish her healing," wrote a TikTok user ThatUniqueLife.

"I just hope she gets help! She really doesn't need you filming her at her lowest. Maybe ask if she's alright instead," commented Pat Drake. Meanwhile, the TikToker who posted the video brushed aside all the comments writing: "Can y'all stop with the negative comments? The lady woke up after the video ended. She is fine. She just needs to not do drugs before work."

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