TikTok Is In Disbelief At A Customer's Violent Reaction To A Drink Order
We know the restaurant industry is facing staffing shortages, supply shortages, and stress from recovering from two years of pandemic uncertainty. So, it isn't surprising when some of these events can lead to mistakes during an order. James Iannazzo was one such customer who became upset after a mistake, or perhaps a miscommunication, after he was handed the wrong smoothie at Roebeks in Fairfield, Connecticut (via WFSB). While in normal circumstances, this would have been unfortunate, in this situation the smoothie appears to have contained a peanut allergen, causing Iannazzo to call 911 shortly afterward for a juvenile suffering an allergy attack.
The juvenile was said to be taken to the hospital, police told WFSB. According to the Cleveland Clinic, peanut allergies are said to affect about 1 in every 50 children in the United States.
This situation would have been tragic enough alone, but Iannazzo chose to take things to another level by confronting staff in a manner that has TikTok in disbelief.
A disproportionate response
While returning to the restaurant to ask what happened may be normal, what Iannazzo did next was anything but. As a TikTok video shows, the angry father came back and started berating the smoothie staff, including the use of physical threats and racial slurs. As one commenter writes, "His peanut butter excuse, if true, is NO reason to do what he did. He should have been with his kid and taken legal action later." This opinion was clearly echoed by witnesses.
Charli Hill, the high school student who took this video, describes the scene to her local news. "He started to call her racial slurs. He threatened to kill us multiple times," she told WFSB. "I understand and we are sorry on behalf of Robeks for how the smoothie was made, but it gives you absolutely no right to act out like that."
"It was kind of scary, I'm not going to lie because I'm like 'I don't know his intention or what he was going to do," Gianna Miranda, who identifies herself on TikTok as the girl in blue at the smoothie shop, told the news station.
As for consequences, astonished users may at least get some closure. WFSB reports that Iannazzo was arrested and charged with "intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace, and criminal trespass." In addition, Iannazzo's employer Merrill Lynch has severed their relationship due to this behavior.