“We stand behind our staff 100%, no questions asked,” the restaurant wrote when it shared surveillance footage of the incident on its Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- A Florida woman hit a restaurant employee with a to-go bag during a heated altercation caught on security footage
- The restaurant defended its staff in a Facebook post, stating it does not tolerate harassment and stands with its employees
- The customer received a civil citation, per the Punta Gorda Police Department
A Florida woman attacked a restaurant employee with a to-go bag this past weekend, and it was caught on camera.
A surveillance clip shows a customer at Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar in Punta Gorda, Fla. getting into an argument with a member of the staff in an alley. In the video, the customer hits the employee in the head with her to-go bag, per a Facebook post from the restaurant.
In the video, three customers get in a verbal altercation with a restaurant employee.
At one point, one of the women can be heard yelling, “You are lying, little girl.”
“We have cameras,” the server replies. The customers accuse her of pushing one of them, which she denies.
“F—- you, little b—–,” the customer says. “F—- you, record it!”
The woman approaches the server and hits her in the head with her to-go bag. The video shows the server fighting back and pushing her away.
“What the f—- is wrong with you?” she says. As another employee walks the three women out, the customer who hit the employee turns back and laughs.
A police investigation report obtained by PEOPLE states that the police responded to a "disturbance" at the restaurant and cited battery as the crime incident, marking that the customer received a civil citation.
“🚨 DON'T TEST US 🚨,” the restaurant wrote in its caption when it posted the security footage, adding that the captured video depicted “verbal harassment that escalated into physical aggression toward one of our female staff members.”
“We do not tolerate disrespect. We do not tolerate harassment. We do not tolerate anyone putting their hands on our staff,” the restaurant wrote, adding, “our team shows up every day with hustle, heart, and good energy. If you can't match that with basic respect, you are not welcome in our space.”
“We stand behind our staff 100%, no questions asked,” it clarified.
“If you think you can walk into our establishment, cause a scene, and face no consequences—think again,” the restaurant wrote. “To our loyal, respectful customers—you're the reason this place feels the way it does, and we appreciate you more than you know.”
The restaurant also shared security footage of the group in the restaurant, seemingly interacting with the same employee. In one video, one of the customers seems to flick her napkin at the server's face.
Leroy's Bar and Kitchen declined to comment on the matter to PEOPLE for legal purposes.
Commenters wrote in support of the restaurant and employee.
“As someone who works in the restaurant industry and hasn't had something this awful happen but has had customers disrespect them. THANK YOU for having your employees back,” one commenter wrote on the post of the to-go bag incident.
“Truly so sorry this happened to this girl! But it's good to see owners stepping up for what's right!! You don't see that very often!” they added.
Another restaurant worker wrote, “as someone who works in this industry- I feel for you! I have had my fair share of looney ppl in this town. They think if they are “paying” us, they're entitled to be a-holes. You did such an amazing job of sticking up for yourself, and you know your team has your back!"
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