I see these Del Taco’s all over the place here in So Cal and was wondering if they are any better than Taco Bell?

Hello everyone,
I am the friend of a fellow employee who over the weekend was faced with a tough situation. After working about 2 or 3 hours, my fellow employee and friend was asked by our shift leader to take his lunch break. We work for Del Taco as cashiers and do not receive a paid lunch break, therefore he “clocked out” to take his break. While on his break, he decided to go out to his car, remove his uniform and smoke a cigarette. His car was a fair distance from the restaurant and parked in the middle of a lot/plaza which does not directly belong to the restaurant and had removed his uniform as he planned to stroll down to one of the local shops. However, as he smoked calmly and privately, our shift leader called him over and communicated that the owner of the restaurant had received a complaint from a customer who saw him smoking and was apparently offended and disgusted by it. The furious owner asked our shift leader to dismiss him from work immediately. My fellow employee was compliant and followed the instruction.

However, the furious owner is very upset at the employee and has scheduled a meeting to discuss the situation. My friend is dearly scared he will lose his job or face a harsh consequence on top of having already lost about 5 hours of work.
What are his rights? What are the employers rights? Is the employer legally able to take such an action? Any help or answers would be highly appreciated.

Taco Del Mar, the 244-unit Mexican fast-casual chain, has named former Dunkin’ Brands and Taco Bell executive Larry Destro as its new president and chief executive. 

Taco Del Mar, the 244-unit Mexican fast-casual chain, has named former Dunkin’ Brands and Taco Bell executive Larry Destro as its new president and chief executive.