Woman Freaks Out After Long Wait At Red Lobster On Mother's Day

The incident happened at a Red Lobster in York, PA, on Mother’s Day

A Red Lobster restaurant in Pennsylvania received so many orders on Mother’s Day, the wait times for customers to receive their food reached over two hours at one point. A video now making the rounds on social media shows an altercation between a woman and restaurant employees that grew physical.

In the viral video, the woman is being forced out of the front doors of the restaurant while repeatedly demanding a refund, which the staff members assure her she will receive. Once she’s outside, she continues to try and force her way back into the building. She’s restrained by a woman who identifies herself as a store manager while other employees help block the entrance. The customer eventually takes a swing at the manager.

Local police responded to a call at Red Lobster on Sunday, said Lt. Tony Beam of the Springettsbury Township Police.

“We did respond, we talked to the people involved,” he said. Beam said that when officers arrived, the employees seen in the video were there, but the woman in the green sweatshirt had left but they were able to speak to her at a nearby location.

“She was upset because her food wasn’t ready,” he said. “She wanted her money refunded.” Beam also said that the restaurant was closed to patrons; only employees were allowed inside and that all food ordered from Red Lobster is brought outside the building to adhere to social distancing protocol.

According to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s orders, restaurants must either be closed or operate with a take-out or delivery system to minimize social contact during the pandemic. Customers at all establishments that remain operating, as well as their employees, are all also required to wear masks to enter.

Many people took to Twitter to share their reaction to the viral video.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/260346826974265344

Another Mother’s Day incident involving a Colorado restaurant also went viral this week, showing a crowded dining room full of customers dining in C&C Coffee and Kitchen. That restaurant, which was defying statewide orders by opening its doors to dine-in customers, has now lost its license indefinitely.

Red Lobster issued a statement apologizing to disappointed customers, noting that the coronavirus pandemic had impacted their ability to keep up with demand as some locations. The restaurant chain also gave assurances that all unfilled orders would be refunded.

“We do not tolerate violence for any reason in our restaurants. 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.”