Nationwide — Shelita Jaclyn, an African American franchise owner of a Chick-fil-A in Chesapeake, Virginia, went viral after a locksmith refused to recognize her authority and tried to speak only to a man. She quickly fired him and hired another contractor to complete the work.
Jaclyn, who shares her business journey on TikTok under @operatorinchief, posted the encounter online. The video has racked up over 14 million views, showing the moment a contractor openly challenged her authority at her own restaurant.
According to EURWeb, the confrontation began when her husband, who handles maintenance and operations, scheduled a locksmith to perform some work. Shelita stepped out of the kitchen to approve the job, but the contractor refused to proceed. He insisted on speaking with the person who had called him, assuming it had to be a man.
Even after she introduced herself as the owner, the locksmith insisted. “No ma’am, I need you to go get the owner so I can make sure it is okay with him,” he said and pointed his finger at her. Shelita remained calm and assertive, making it clear she was in charge.
The locksmith then called her husband for confirmation. That call quickly backfired. Her husband stated, “Sir, that’s not my restaurant. That’s my wife’s restaurant. Is she not there?” The contractor had no reply and hung up. Shelita captured his stunned reaction, joking that he went from “confident contractor to Windows 95 error screen.”
After that, the contractor asked if he could proceed with the work. Shelita’s answered, “You could, but you won’t.” She sent him away and hired a different contractor to finish the job without issue.