Just days after we saw a Taco Bell employee licking a stack of shells, a Wendy's employee took a direct shot from the soft serve machine. 

Ragan's PR Daily wrote a prosaic version of Wendy's possible response and what the writer calls a "more human statement." Compare the two:

"Wendy's hasn't released one yet, but rest assured that it will read something like this: 'At Wendy's we hold ourselves and our employees to the highest standards. We are aware of a photo circulating online that depicts an employee using company property in an inappropriate manner. We apologize, and will take steps to rectify the situation.'

"A better, more human statement might read: 'We know-it's gross. But when you employ legions of teenagers, you're going to get a few bad apples in the mix. We'll find this dopey S.O.B. and fire him and tell our franchisees not to hire idiots, but let's face it-teenagers do stupid stuff.'"

Wendy's spokesperson Bob Bertini did respond to the Daily News:

"We don't know the exact date the photo was taken, but we believe in it was in  May. The incident was totally inappropriate, and  we're taking it very seriously."

Bertini also said that the employee is not longer working at the restaurant.

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of PR Daily's attempt at a more "human" statement? What are the potential advantages and risks?
• Try another variation of Wendy's statement. What else could the spokesperson say?