US restaurant shuts shop to observe 'day of kindness' after staff gets abused by customer

A restaurant in the United States of America closed its doors to mark a 'day of kindness' after a young staff was left in tears by a customer. The staff at Massachusetts' restaurant Apt Cape Cod have had a rough summer as they bore the brunt of the customers.

The final blow came when a restaurant's staff was reduced to tears by a rude customer. The staff tried to explain to the customer that he was unable to take his order since the restaurant had not yet opened for the day, New York Times reported.

"Unacceptable way to treat a human"

Restaurant owner and chef Brandi Felt Castellano and Head Chef Regina made an official announcement through a lengthy Facebook post that the restaurant would observe a 'day of kindness' and would gift an off day to the staff for all that they had put up during summer.

"As many of our guests and patrons treat us with kindness and understanding, there have been astronomical influx daily of those that do not, swearing at us, threatening to sue, arguing and yelling at my staff, making team members cry," they wrote, calling out at the rude customer. The restaurant owners strongly condemned the rude behaviour and called it an "unacceptable way to treat a human."

Chef Brandi Felt, in her interview with New York Times, informed that the customer was informed politely about the delay in service since the restaurant was yet to open its doors. However, the agitated customer allegedly began hurling abuses at the young staff member, which reduced him to tears. The incident prompted Brandi and Regina to shut down the restaurant for breakfast.

However, the couple compositely decided to resume services for dinner later in the day. She also urged the patrons to remember that many staff members are at their summer jobs or first jobs in order to pay for college.

Many restaurants did not survive the  COVID pandemic due to the aggressive behaviour of the customers towards the staff, Brandi informed. This happened due to staff shortages that contributed to an increase in wait time at tables. Moreover, the lack of grocery stores also added to the elimination of dishes from menus, which agitated customers at restaurants, she added. These tough times are worst than Brandi had seen in 20years, she concluded.

(Image input: Unsplash/Facebook)