A violent street brawl involving a heavily intoxicated couple and staff at a trendy San Francisco restaurant co-owned by celebrity chef Joey Altman was captured on video last Saturday night.
Chaos Erupts After Service Refusal
The incident occurred at Hazie's restaurant, where the unidentified couple had been seated earlier in the evening. According to bartender Miguel Marchese, their "harsh" attitude towards servers and visible intoxication led staff to cut them off from further service. "They were verbally abrasive with one of the servers, very harsh with her. Just being difficult people," Marchese told SFGate. "It was evident that they were intoxicated."
After being refused, the woman became enraged, storming into the kitchen and behind the bar to confront employees. In footage of the incident, she is heard screaming at the manager in a drunken slur: "Alright, the manager and owner at Hazie's just f***ing harassed me." The manager repeatedly asked her to leave, to which she responded by taunting, "Ooooh, he's a liar too," before her partner guided her away.
Violence Spills Onto the Sidewalk
Marchese, who had lost his voice, attempted to defuse the situation nonverbally. "I'm trying to tell her with my hands, 'Okay, let's just calm down, everybody, time to leave.' And everything just spirals into chaos," he recounted. The situation escalated physically inside the venue, leading to the couple being restrained and carried out to cheers from other patrons.
However, the confrontation intensified on the sidewalk. The woman was seen on video kicking and thrashing as Marchese lifted her out. She then wrapped his hair tightly around her hand and pulled on it, creating a dangerous predicament. "She's kicking me all over and then she ends up wrapping my hair around her hand," Marchese said. Bystanders and employees shouted for her to stop and let go.
To free himself, Marchese resorted to throwing her phone down the street, which caused her to chase it. He later tripped her as she ran, causing her to fall face down on the pavement, where she began crying. Her partner attempted to comfort her, but she angrily pushed him away, yelling, "Be a man! Leave me f*** alone."
Bartender Reflects on Service Industry Realities
Despite the assault, Marchese stated he is not pressing charges. For him and many service workers, such incidents, while shocking to the public, are an unfortunate part of the job. "This is the life of a bartender," he told the outlet. "I've been a bartender for over eight years. I've been slapped, I've been degraded, I've been given homophobic slurs, I've been sexualized... when you work in service for a long time, it fortifies you into a really resilient person."
The viral video of the brawl has drawn significant attention, highlighting the challenges faced by hospitality staff. The Daily Mail has reached out to Hazie's for further comment on the incident.
