People like to say "the customer is always right" … but anyone who's ever worked in hospitality or retail knows that ain't always true. Sometimes, the customer is dead wrong — and other times, they straight-up cross the line. Such was the case last week at a McDonald's in Norwich, Connecticut, when 21-year-old Shannelle Hanson became so belligerent over the way her McChicken sandwich was prepared, she got physical with the restaurant manager, according to the Smoking Gun.
It all went down on Friday, when witnesses say Hanson walked into the restaurant at 8:20 p.m. and began complaining that her order was "made wrong."
She allegedly demanded a refund and got one. But for some reason, that wasn't enough.
"Aren't you going to make my food?" she reportedly told the manager behind the counter. At that point, the manager explained that because she got a refund, they weren't making her additional food — and that is what apparently set off Hanson. So much so that she climbed behind the counter, got in the face of the restaurant manager, and declared she was going to make it herself.
Wow.
Now, no one exactly enjoys when their order gets bungled, but to get so perturbed by it that you not only grow irate but also allegedly go behind the counter of a restaurant to confront the manager?
Not cool, Shannelle. Not. Cool.
An arrest report obtained by the Smoking Gun claims that Hanson then slapped the manager, who is 29 weeks pregnant, and began pushing her.
The altercation became so physical that the pair had to be broken up, the arrest report states, and the manager was left feeling "sick" with several broken and bleeding nails from trying to defend herself. Witnesses also say that Hanson threw cups across the restaurant and pushed and slapped a male worker in the face before storming out.
Holy crap.
Even more alarming is that Hanson was told the manager was pregnant -- but said she "didn't care."
"Prior to coming behind the counter, my coworkers told her that I was pregnant," the manager, who has not been publicly named, shared in the police report. "After we were separated, she told me she had bail money and didn't care that I was pregnant. She hoped I lost my child."
Despite Hanson storming out of the restaurant, police were already on their way and she was arrested on the spot.
Once in custody, officers probed her more about the incident and what exactly set it off.
Her response? She was pissed that her McChicken sandwich, which usually comes with toppings such as lettuce, tomato, and other condiments, didn't have any of that fun stuff on top.
Seriously — that's it. That was what led her to demand her money back and then assault a pregnant woman because she wasn't getting a new sandwich for free.
Believe it or not, this isn't the only shocking altercation to go down between a McDonald's employee and a customer in recent months.
Back in January, a Florida man grabbed a female cashier by the shirt from behind the counter, pulled her toward him, and wouldn't let go until a coworker separated them.
The shocking incident was caught video at the time and went viral. But the most unbelievable part of all was what sparked the altercation: The man, later identified as 40-year-old homeless man Daniel Taylor, was angry that he had to ask for a straw.
The good news is, the manager is reportedly OK and was relatively unharmed (despite being shaken).
As for Hanson? She was charged with breach of peace and third-degree assault of a pregnant woman, the Smoking Gun reports, and scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment on June 13.
And to think, this was all over a McChicken sandwich that came without toppings …
