Watch Red Lobster Customer Forced out After Demanding Refund Over Long Wait Times Amid Coronavirus Shortages

A woman at a Red Lobster restaurant got into a physical confrontation with several employees over [...]

By Michael Hein

A woman at a Red Lobster restaurant got into a physical confrontation with several employees over the long wait times amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic precautions in the U.S. The customer, seen in viral video captured and posted to social media, scuffled with multiple employees who tried to push her out of the restaurant on Sunday while she demanded to be let back in. The woman was trying to get a refund based on the chain's long wait times.

The now-viral fist fight at the Red Lobster took place in East York, Pennsylvania, according to a report by Penn Live. The video shows the customer not wearing a mask fighting to get back into the restaurant even as a growing crowd of employees try to force her out. She shouted repeated demands for a refund, while the employees told her it was already being processed. Other bystanders seemed to take her side, with one shouting: "you've got people out here waiting three hours for food!"

None of the individuals in the Red Lobster video have been publicly identified, although a statement from the restaurant chain reportedly confirms that at least one employee in the scuffle was a manager. The employees tried to restrain the woman from getting back inside the restaurant, as it is currently banned under Gov. Tom Wolf's orders. Restaurants can only serve take-out or delivery in Pennsylvania at this time.

Wolf's order also mandates that anyone entering a public establishment must be wearing some kind of face covering. Meanwhile, other employees crowded outside the restaurant yelled things like "we're paying customers," and "never a dull moment."

Red Lobster had widespread delays on order fulfillment on Mother's Day in Pennsylvania. The company issued a statement apologizing, but also condemning the violence seen in the viral video. "We do not tolerate violence for any reason in our restaurants, it read. "We expect our team members treat our guests with respect, and we expect our guests to treat our team members with respect in return. We are grateful our Manager and the guest involved were not seriously injured in the incident on Sunday."

Many commenters online expressed their hope that the woman would be charged with assault over the video. They noted that she endangered the lives of the employees both by entering the restaurant and doing so without a mask. According to the CDC, masks are worn to protect other people around the wearer from the coronavirus. For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.

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