09/10/2026
HOWDY CAFE — SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
We normally choose to focus on our food, our customers and our community rather than respond publicly to workplace matters.
However, a recent post about Howdy Cafe has generated significant discussion, including comments making serious assumptions about our restaurant, our food-safety practices and our business.
We believe our customers deserve to hear the facts.
The individual involved worked only four shifts with Howdy Cafe, totaling fewer than 20 hours, before the employment relationship came to an end.
During one of those shifts, we addressed a concern regarding how dishes and food residue were being handled. This was not an arbitrary criticism. We had previously experienced a drainage problem following the way dishes were being handled, which resulted in approximately $120 in plumbing costs and a temporary disruption to our dine-in service while the issue was resolved.
Like any professional restaurant, Howdy Cafe has a Interior Health approved dishwasher and established procedures for cleaning and sanitizing dishes and food-service equipment.
As a small restaurant, an unexpected plumbing problem has real consequences. We therefore explained why dishes needed to be handled properly and why we did not want the same problem to happen again.
Unfortunately, the conversation escalated, and the interaction became disrespectful, involving raised voices and inappropriate language. At that point, it became clear that the employment relationship was no longer working.
The matter was subsequently discussed on social media, where some comments have gone well beyond the original workplace disagreement.
Some comments have suggested that Howdy Cafe has food-safety or sanitation problems, that customers should stop eating here, and even that Interior Health has identified concerns with our restaurant.
"We want to be absolutely clear: that is not true."
Howdy Cafe has been visited and inspected by Interior Health, and no concerns were raised with us during inspections.
We take food safety, sanitation, cleanliness and proper food handling extremely seriously. These are fundamental responsibilities of operating a restaurant, and we have no interest in cutting corners when it comes to the health and safety of our customers.
Addressing a workplace concern with an employee does not mean that our restaurant operates improperly. Nor does a four-shift employment relationship provide a complete picture of how our restaurant operates on a daily basis.
We are not going to identify the individual, publish private employment communications, or engage in a public argument about the details of an employment relationship.
Everyone is entitled to share their experience and opinion. What we cannot accept is allowing a workplace disagreement to become a platform for unsupported claims about our business and our commitment to food safety.
We welcome fair, genuine and constructive feedback. If a customer has a legitimate concern about our food, service or operations, we encourage them to speak with us directly so we have an opportunity to address it.
At the same time, we believe our customers deserve to know the difference between a genuine customer concern and allegations made in the aftermath of a very short employment relationship.
Howdy Cafe is a small, family-run local business. Over the past year, we have worked extremely hard to build something we can be proud of in Williams Lake.
We have invested our time, our savings and countless hours into this restaurant. We care deeply about our customers, our employees and the community we serve.
We know we are not perfect. No business is.
But we will continue to operate responsibly, maintain our standards and take legitimate concerns seriously.
To everyone who has supported Howdy Cafe, continued to visit us, recommended us to friends, and taken the time to speak up for us — thank you.
And to those who have seen the discussion and now have questions about Howdy Cafe, we invite you to judge us by your own experience.
Come in. Meet our team. Have a meal. See how we operate.
One workplace disagreement involving someone who worked four shifts does not define Howdy Cafe.
Our food, our service, our standards and the experience we provide our customers every day are what define us.
We would rather let our work and our customers speak for us.
Thank you, Williams Lake, for supporting local.
The Howdy Cafe Family
