Muffin Break Manager Sad People Won’t Work For Free

Millennials are killing the Muffin Break industry, which apparently wasn’t dead yet.

In an interview with news.com.au published yesterday, Muffin Break general manager Natalie Brennan expressed disgust that Millennials are no longer begging to sling baked goods for free.

“There’s just nobody walking in my door asking for an internship, work experience or unpaid work, nobody,” said Brennan, apparently under the belief that unwillingness to provide an international corporation with free labour is a sign of Millennial self-importance.

“In essence they’re working for free, but I can tell you every single person who has knocked on my door for an internship or work experience has ended up with a job. Every single person, because they back themselves.”

I think what gets me about the Muffin Break managing director isn't that she expects people to work for free. It's her incredulity. The sheer, uncomprehending shock.

— Patrick Stokes (@patstokes) February 23, 2019

Just a reminder that some Millennials are 38 years old and have been in the workforce for two decades. #muffinbreak

— anna spargo-ryan (@annaspargoryan) February 23, 2019

Brennan doesn’t say how long it was before they ended up with a job, or what her employees were doing for food and shelter while their working hours were occupied with uncompensated labour. She does, however, say that even if they are eventually bestowed with a job, people should be willing to work for little pay “to show what [they’re] worth”.

“I’m generalising, but it definitely feels like this generation of 20-somethings has to be rewarded even if it’s the most mundane, boring thing, they want to be rewarded for doing their job constantly,” said Brennan. A constant reward for doing a job is colloquially called a “wage”.

Brennan’s comments have been widely derided on social media.

Dear #MuffinBreak. I’m not sure your food and coffee will provide the sustenance I need. I am, however, willing to give you the opportunity to provide me with free food for 6 months. If satisfied, I will happily give you a written recommendation you can use to persuade others. ??

— Simon Hunter (@SimonHu49509082) February 23, 2019

try to think of something more bleakly depressing than doing free work for fucking muffin break. you can't

— Eleanor Robertson (@marrowing) February 23, 2019

Wow muffin break can get fucked. Wanting free labour and demeaning young people for their supposed arrogance when her quotes were dripping with the most inflated sense of superiority and overall assholliness

— gnocchi balboa (@oldbiddyyelling) February 23, 2019

Do you know the muffin man, who used to live in Drury Lane but recently had to move back in with his parents because Muffin Break pay for shit?

You mean Jeff?

Yeah, Jeff.

Pretty shit to call him the ‘muffin man’ tho.

Hey, I’m not the bad guy here, Muffin Break is.

Still tho.

— Pearson In The Wind (@LukeLPearson) February 23, 2019

Good on Natalie Brennan for saying it like it is!
I will make sure to eat at #muffinbreak regularly and in large quantities for next few months.

Of course I wont actually pay for my food, as I am just trialing them as interns…. @newscomauHQ

— James Deep (@james_deep) February 23, 2019

Many people online have pointed to previous unsavoury reports regarding how Muffin Break pays its workers.  Last year a parliamentary inquiry concerning franchises heard a Muffin Break franchisee was told to “consider underpaying staff that [he could] trust”.

“The key message was that as migrants, I must be aware of other migrants or students who would gladly accept underpayments in lure of their first job and hence not report or complain,” said franchisee Faheem Mirza. Muffin Break brand owner Foodco denied the allegation.

Hey Muffin Break:

) ) )
) ( ) ) (
_(___(____)____(___(__ _
If you can't afford to /
pay a living wage, / |
you can't afford /__|
to run a /
business. /
___________ /

— Australian Unions (@unionsaustralia) February 23, 2019

Muffin Break has also previously fallen afoul of the Fair Work Ombudsman. In 2016 the Ombudsman found two Muffin Break workers were underpaid a total of over $46,000, and in 2014 it found a student who had worked at Muffin Break for almost two years had been underpaid almost $20,000.

According to Muffin Break’s website, the franchise has over 210 stores in Australia and a total of over 300 stores internationally.