A worker at a Manchester restaurant was taken to hospital after being assaulted by a customer who attempted to leave without paying. Noodle Alley, on Faulkner Street in the city's Chinatown, shared CCTV footage of the incident on social media, in which the owners claim a customer left without paying for food.
Owner speaks out after staff member injured
In the post, the restaurant owner said: “What has the world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.” The post also included images of the staff member's injuries to her arm and elbow.
It continues: “We’re a small family business, and lately it feels like small businesses are being targeted again and again. But this time, it went far beyond anything we have experienced before. “One of our young staff members — a girl simply doing her job — was assaulted after going beyond her duty to try to recover what had been taken from our restaurant. She ended up in A&E.
Staff member 'emotionally affected'
“What hurts us most is seeing how emotionally affected she has been by what happened. She told us she had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this. “We work hard to look after our staff and our customers, and nobody should have to go through this simply for doing their job. We have reported the incident to the police.”
The incident is believed to have happened just after 6pm on Sunday, September 27. The CCTV appears to show a staff member running up the stairs after three customers. It has been reported that the member of staff was taken to A&E.
Police release CCTV image
Greater Manchester Police issued CCTV of a man they would like to speak to, who they believe could help with their investigations. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, on LiveChat or via the reporting mechanisms on the website quoting CRI/06A2/0030137/26. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Customers posted messages of support in the comment section of the post. One person said: "That's so awful. So sorry that happened." Another person posted: "This makes me so sad to see. I love your restaurant so much, you don’t deserve this. Sending love to your team. Hope you find out who they are."
