Shocking footage has captured the moment a diner allegedly hurled plates at cafe staff after he was asked to pay a public holiday surcharge for his meal.
The man allegedly erupted over the extra cost after enjoying a couple of meals with his partner at the Whisky Business Cafe in Capalaba, west of Brisbane, last Monday.
When he was told about the 15 per cent fee, payable for eating out on Ekka People’s Day — the name given to the The Royal Queensland Show Day – he refused to pay it.
CCTV showed him allegedly arguing with staff, then marching away, picking up one meal, and launching it at staff over the counter, before throwing a second plate.
Cafe owner Kylie Baker told Daily Mail Australia a plate missed her head by ‘an inch, two inches at the most’.
A customer was furious after being asked to a public holiday surcharge on top of the cost of two meals at a Redlands café
![While Whisky Business owner Kylie Baker dodged the flying plates, she claimed a young staff member was hit in the leg by a smashed plate. Pictured, Ms Baker (left)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/20/01/74512439-12424937-While_Whisky_Business_owner_Kylie_Baker_dodged_the_flying_plates-a-23_1692491503179.jpg)
While Whisky Business owner Kylie Baker dodged the flying plates, she claimed a young staff member was hit in the leg by a smashed plate. Pictured, Ms Baker (left)
![CCTV footage showed the man picking up one plate, and launching it staff over the counter, then doing the same with a second meal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/20/01/74512375-12424937-CCTV_footage_showed_the_man_picking_up_one_plate_and_launching_i-a-26_1692491503674.jpg)
CCTV footage showed the man picking up one plate, and launching it staff over the counter, then doing the same with a second meal
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in 30 years working in the industry,’ she said.
‘He was hostile right from the start.’
While Ms Baker dodged the flying plates, a young staff member was hit, although he wasn’t injured.
‘Billy got hit in the leg by one of the smashed plates, but he is fine,’ Ms Baker told her customers on the cafe’s Facebook page.
The customer refused to believe that Monday was considered to be a public holiday in Redlands, Ms Baker wrote.
‘After becoming verbally abusive with me he resorted to violence.
‘The plates he threw with full force in towards the counter were directly aimed at me.
‘The first one, which was completely unexpected, only missing my head by a couple of inches. The second one I also managed to dodge.’
‘At the time, working along side me on the counter were 3 of our Junior Staff, all under the age of 16.’
Her young staff were left in tears and everyone working in the cafe was still ‘jumpy’ a week later, she told Daily Mail Australia.
The man is understood to have ordered Nutella waffles, a salmon bagel and an eggs benedict for himself and his partner before the confrontation unfolded.
Other customers reacted to the angry customer immediately, surrounding the man, who was later interviewed by police.
‘Thank goodness no-one was seriously injured,’ Ms Baker wrote. ‘How, well that was a miracle.’
![Customers reacted to the angry customer immediately, surrounding the man](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/20/01/74512425-12424937-Customers_reacted_to_the_angry_customer_immediately_surrounding_-a-27_1692491503678.jpg)
Customers reacted to the angry customer immediately, surrounding the man
![The scary incident happened at the Whisky Business café, in Capalaba, in Redlands west of Brisbane. Pictured, the interior of Whisky Business](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/20/01/74512377-12424937-The_scary_incident_happened_at_the_Whisky_Business_caf_in_Capala-a-24_1692491503459.jpg)
The scary incident happened at the Whisky Business café, in Capalaba, in Redlands west of Brisbane. Pictured, the interior of Whisky Business
![The man ordered the cafe's Nutella Waffles (pictured) but threw his meal without eating it](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/20/01/74512381-12424937-The_man_ordered_the_cafe_s_Nutella_Waffles_pictured_but_threw_hi-a-28_1692491503919.jpg)
The man ordered the cafe’s Nutella Waffles (pictured) but threw his meal without eating it
Ms Baker shared two videos of the incident online, but blurred the man’s face. ‘It is not my intention to name and shame,’ she said.
‘Please be kind to each other, and to your hospo workers next time you’re out and about. We are just doing our jobs,’ she also wrote.
Queensland Police confirmed a 48-year-old man was charged with four offences over the incident, including assault, wilful damage and public nuisance.
He is due to appear at Cleveland Magistrates Court on September 29.
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