2 Chick-fil-A employees in Arkansas were fired after a video appeared to show one spitting in chicken batter and calling it the 'secret formula'

• A video circulating online appeared to show a Chick-fil-A employee spitting in chicken batter.
• A worker shown in the clip said it was the "secret formula," per ABC24 Memphis.

Two employees at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in West Memphis, Arkansas, have been fired after a video appeared to show one of them spitting in food.

A video shared by ABC 24 Memphis showed what appeared to be a Chick-fil-A employee saying "from the secret formula right now" before seemingly spitting in the chicken batter.

Jonathan Cardwell, an operator for the restaurant chain, described the employees' behavior as "completely unacceptable."

He wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page: "We have identified the Team Member, as well as the one filming, and have terminated employment effective immediately. We have very strict standards and high expectations for Food Safety, Team Member behavior, and our Guest Experience and this was an egregious violation of all of the above."

"You trust us to deliver you safe, fresh food with a team who genuinely cares about you. We fell short of those expectations here," the statement read.

Cardwell also apologized and said the company takes such matters "very seriously."

Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of standard business hours.

West Memphis station WREG-TV contacted the Arkansas Department of Health to determine whether an investigation would be launched. The department responded: "The Arkansas Department of Health takes all restaurant complaints seriously and will follow up with an inspection of the facility."

"Our environmental health specialists will investigate the complaint and if the statements made in the complaint are found to be occurring, we will implement interventions to correct the issues."