Klea Hajita, owner of Golden Brunch on Park Road in Dingle, released CCTV footage showing a customer throwing a pot of tinned tomatoes over the floor after being informed about the cafe's policy on outside food and drinks. The incident occurred on Sunday, July 12.
Customer's reaction to drink policy
According to Klea, the family initially ordered food without any issues. When she brought out their meals, she noticed they had placed two bottles of water and two bottles of juice on the table. Klea politely reminded them that outside food and drinks are not permitted in the cafe.
Klea told the ECHO: "It's not only about the profit for the business, it's about health and safety, hygiene and allergies. We can only take responsibility for the food and drinks we serve ourselves and if customers bring in outside items I can't know what they contain which puts me at risk as a business."
Intimidation and aftermath
Klea offered free tap water with ice to anyone who wanted it. She said the man kept looking directly at her while drinking the juice, which felt intimidating. After the family paid and began to leave, the man turned back and allegedly threw the tinned tomatoes from his full English breakfast over the floor.
Klea stated: "Having to tell people they're not allowed to bring in their own food and drinks is a daily thing we have to deal with. When I first posted the video it went viral and the woman involved reached out to apologise and asked me to take the video down because there was a child involved."
Raising awareness
Klea removed the original video and reuploaded it with faces blurred to raise awareness about the cafe's policies. She did not report the incident to the police, believing the video serves as sufficient notice.
She added: "People need to be aware and understand that our food and drinks policy protects the business and keeps our customers safe. People do make mistakes and aren't always aware of things but when I let people know the rules I wish they'd be polite instead of acting in that way. Running a small business takes an enormous amount of hard work, and all we ask in return is a little respect for the staff, for the business, and for the rules that are in place to protect everyone."
