Pizza Hut manager fired after refusing to open Thanksgiving

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15 minutes ago

As more restaurants open on Thanksgiving to boost sales, one Pizza Hut manager decided that he'd had enough - and it cost him his job.

After working his way up from cook to general manager at the company, Tony Rohr was fired, he said, for refusing to open his Elkhart, Ind., store on Thanksgiving, which he was told was mandatory.

'I just decided I wasn't going to agree to it,' Rohr said. 'All of these people the whole year had been told they were going to have the day off.'

He said that in his 10 years with the company, this was the first time any location has asked him to work on Thanksgiving.

Many spots are opening on the national holiday in an effort to squeeze out extra sales from holiday shoppers.

'They just said it was a competitive decision and that everyone was open, so we will be too,' Rohr added. 'I said, 'Why can't we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees, and let them have the day off?' '

He has not been in touch with the chain since his termination, he said.

Pizza Hut did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Despite being laid off right before the holiday season, Rohr has no regrets.

'No, not at all,' he said. 'I'm glad I did that.'

-CNBC's Katie Little. Follow her on Twitter @KatieLittle Retailers' Black Friday and Thanksgiving hours Restaurants target Thanksgiving shoppers Gift guide: Wines under $20

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