Woman throws straws at LiHo staff over alleged ice request in Hougang Mall; police report made

A customer at a bubble tea outlet was seen throwing straws at a LiHo staff member after allegedly being denied a request for less ice on Monday (Feb 9).

In a video shared on TikTok on Feb 14, a woman is seen standing at the counter of a LiHo store and throwing several straws, before escalating the incident by hurling an entire bunch at the staff member.

The video was shared by bubble tea chain owner Rodney Tang, who later spoke to one of the affected employee about the incident, which is believed to have occurred at Hougang Mall at around 6pm. 

According to the staff member, the female customer had initially requested a student promotion drink with less ice. 

Due to company procedures, the staff could not fulfil the request.

The 17-year-old staff member reportedly told Shin Min Daily News that the customer briefly showed a student pass but also claimed to be a lawyer.

Uncertain about how to proceed, the staff member went to consult her co-workers. The situation worsened when the customer allegedly began insulting another employee, claiming she was rude, before throwing the drink inside the outlet.

When asked what prompted the woman to throw the straws, the staff member said: "I'm not sure why she threw them. My co-worker said the customer seemed really upset and eventually threw the straws at her face."

@rodney.tang

BREAKING:Staff abused & items thrown，Let’s find out what happened. #RodneyTang #F&BEntrepreneurship #BusinessMindset #singapore #LiHOTEA #respect #BubbleTea #CCTV

♬ original sound - Rodney Tang

Company to review communication procedures

Tang later checked in on the employee, who admitted she cried after the incident as she felt shaken by the customer's behaviour.

He then apologised to the staff member before presenting her with a red packet to wish her a Happy Lunar New Year, expressing appreciation for her hard work.

"The team here is usually very happy and positive. This customer lost her temper and verbally abused our staff, even throwing objects. All we can do is make a police report," Tang said, adding that a police report was filed that afternoon. 

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police confirmed that a report was lodged. 

Towards the end of the video, Tang also noted that internally, the company would review how it communicates its procedures to customers to help prevent such incidents in the future.

The video has since garnered over 220k views and 5,000 reactions. 

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com