A waitress at Noodle Alley, an Asian restaurant in Manchester's Chinatown, was allegedly assaulted by a customer who tried to flee without paying. The incident is thought to have occurred on Sunday, September 27, just after 6pm, and led to the waitress being taken to hospital for her injuries.
CCTV footage shows staff member chasing customers
CCTV footage shared by the restaurant on social media shows a staff member running up the stairs after three customers. Noodle Alley owners said: “What has the world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.”
The restaurant described the staff member as “a girl simply doing her job” who was assaulted after going beyond her duty to recover what had been taken. The owners added: “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.”
Police release image of man they want to speak to
Greater Manchester Police has released an image of a man they believe can 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.
In a previous statement, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers received reports of an assault and a pair making off without paying a bill from a restaurant on Faulkner Street. No arrests have been made at this stage and enquiries are on-going.”
Support from customers and recent incidents
Following the reports, customers took to social media to share their support for the venue. One person said: “Omg this makes me so sad to see. I love your restaurant so much, you don’t deserve this!” Another posted: “Unbelievable. We really hope your staff member is OK.”
This is the latest incident for Noodle Alley in as much as six weeks, with owners Wendy and Ken Chen previously speaking to the Manchester Evening News in August after a customer left without paying. Earlier this year, Noodle Alley was nominated for Affordable Eats Venue of the Year at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards, with the honour later going to Double Zero.
