Chick-fil-A employee busted in bizarre $80K mac-and-cheese theft scheme

A former Chick-fil-A employee in Texas was arrested after authorities accused him of stealing more than $80,000 through a fraudulent refund scheme, police said.

Keyshun Jones, who was fired from the Grapevine location last year, allegedly returned to the restaurant multiple times and entered fake food orders into the cash register before issuing refunds to his personal credit card, the Grapevine Police Department told FOX 4.

Investigators said Jones rang up roughly 800 fraudulent orders of macaroni and cheese, before refunding the transactions. He was arrested April 17.

Schemes involving fake orders and fraudulent refunds are a common form of employee theft in the restaurant industry, where workers with register access can manipulate point-of-sale systems to issue unauthorized refunds.

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A former Chick-fil-A employee was arrested after allegedly placing orders for mac and cheese and then refunding them to his credit card. (Craig T. Fruchtman/Getty Images)

The investigation began in November 2025, after the restaurant’s owners reported hundreds of suspicious refunds, according to police.

Detectives later reviewed surveillance footage that allegedly showed Jones behind the counter carrying out the transactions, despite no longer being employed at the location. Authorities did not say how he was able to access the register after his termination.

Court records show a warrant was issued for Jones’ arrest on April 6. He was taken into custody April 17, with assistance from the Texas Attorney General’s Fugitive Task Force and the Fort Worth Police Department.

Jones faces charges that include property theft, money laundering and evading arrest.

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Keyshun Jones, the arrested former employee, allegedly largely placed orders for trays of mac and cheese before refunding them to his personal credit card. (iStock)

The money laundering charge typically applies when proceeds from alleged illegal activity are processed through financial transactions, while the evading arrest charge indicates authorities believe he attempted to avoid being taken into custody.

Jones allegedly returned to Chick-fil-A after being fired to place orders on the register before refunding them. (Grapevine Police Department)

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If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in state prison under Texas law.

The Grapevine Police Department and a representative for Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.