Video captures person getting a tattoo inside of Gastonia Wendy’s

Gary Brode,

GASTONIA, NC — Viewer video shows a person getting a tattoo inside of a Wendy’s in Gastonia on Thursday night.

Shelby Mcswain took the video. She tells WCCB she and her parents drove by the fast food restaurant, couldn’t believe what they were seeing, so they turned back around for a second look.

“I’ve lived in Gastonia my whole life, so that was like, honestly not that crazy compared to some things I’ve seen. But I was just suddenly thinking how unhygienic, you know, like, imagine I was, you know, with my family because we were about to go eat and just seeing someone get tattooed, We instantly were like, no, we’re not eating there,” explained Mcswain.

A Gaston County spokesperson tells us:

“Someone from our environmental health team (which oversees food/restaurant inspections) has already been out today to discuss the video with the manager. From Public Health, we’ll provide the restaurant with a letter reinforcing that they cannot tattoo without a permit. If there was continued evidence of violations, we would then explore next steps and potential legal action in consultation with the County Attorney’s Office.
Based on the feedback from our health inspector, however, it does appear that the restaurant manager is acting to address the issue. “
A Wendy’s spokesperson tells WCCB:

“This behavior does not reflect our company’s values or the standards we set for our teams. We take the safety and well‑being of our customers very seriously, and we expect all team members to uphold those expectations at all times. Upon learning of the situation, we took immediate disciplinary action to address the situation.”