Several Taco Bell employees in Philadelphia were fired after they jumped over the counter and attacked customers who complained about the long wait time for their order last week. Now the Taco Bell has a “Help Wanted” sign on their door, and management is retraining employees so such a thing doesn’t happen again.
A 32-second clip shows customer Bryan Reese and his friend getting attacked by multiple employees outside of a Taco Bell in the Center City District of Philly. The short video clip, taken on the night of Feb. 24, shows one employee repeatedly punching Reese in the ribs while another holds him down and someone yells, “Stop, stop!”
On Tuesday, Reese told Fox29 what precipitated the attack: “The entire store was filled with people—everybody was angry—wondering where their tacos were.”
Caught on Camera: Taco Bell employees brawl with customer https://t.co/yGd6gf3Q5s
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) March 6, 2019
Reese said he and his girlfriend, along with a number of other customers, had been waiting for their orders for 45 minutes.
“When the complaints kept coming in, somebody just snapped and they came after me,” Reese explained.
He told Fox29 that the attack was unprovoked.
“Three people jumped over the counter, I backed out of the store. They continued to follow me. They put me on the ground,” he said.
“Nobody deserves what happened to me,” said Reese.
The video also shows Reese’s friend getting punched on the ground nearby. His girlfriend was knocked off her feet as well. Fox29 aired photos of the bruises and scratches she sustained during the assault.
Developing:Video of Center City Taco Bell employees in altercation with customers.Customer says employees “snapped” when they complained of long wait times for food. Taco Bell says employees have been terminated. Hear from the customer and store owner tonight at [email protected] pic.twitter.com/mZcRgZvA9h
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) March 6, 2019
Taco Bell released the following statement:
“We’re shocked and disappointed to see this situation; we and our franchisees do not tolerate this behavior. The franchisee who owns and operates this location is retraining its staff, and all team members involved have been terminated.”
There have been no arrests in the case yet, according to Fox29. But police did drop by the restaurant on Tuesday to look at surveillance video.
In the meantime, Taco Bell has offered Reese a $20 gift certificate to make up for the inconvenience of getting beaten up by its employees. But only after the local media started asking questions.
Actually the guy was offered a $20 gift card for his troubles. #forreal.
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) March 6, 2019
Reese seemed more interested in seeing the culprits brought to justice than getting free tacos.
“The fact that people can just jump counters and beat up whoever they want—not today. You can’t do that that’s not right,” he said.
