People are expressing sympathy for a Long John Silver’s worker who was filmed throwing a cup of ice at a customer after telling her he hasn’t had a day off in two weeks.
The video wasn’t filmed by the TikToker who posted it, Sio (@siiiooo20). However, the TikToker notes in the video’s caption it was filmed by “someone from [her] city.” In the video, the filmer is in the Long John Silver’s drive-thru in Texas. She started recording after a worker allegedly told her to “shut up.” “Do y’all always tell your customers to shut up on the intercom?” she asks him after pulling up to the window.
“Yes, we do; we try to. … because we need less business here at this shit sea shanty, where everything is just basically being propped up on my shoulders, and I haven’t had a day off in two weeks,” he says. “Because it’s really not that bad and because you can always go inside if you think you have to.”
The woman says she’s “never been talked to that way” at any other establishment and that she thought the worker was “joking” at first. She then asks if the worker has a manager, indicating she wants to speak with them, and asks for the worker’s name. He gives her fake names.
“Do you want any ketchup, tarter, or malt vinegar?” he asks.
“Tarter sauce, please,” she says before returning to continue addressing the worker’s alleged remark.
“So are you the only one that tells people to shut up, or everybody does?” she questions.
“Pretty much everybody,” he says before telling the woman she’s probably going to encounter him every time she goes through the drive-thru.
Sio reiterated in a comment she wasn’t the filmer but that the filmer “wanted everyone to share.” “So I just posted on here,” Sio said in a comment.
@siiiooo20 ***not my vid, just someone from my city***
♬ original sound – Sio
The video has been viewed over 671,000 times since July 10.
The TikToker posted a second part that same day. The video picks up where the first left off, with the customer letting the worker know she was filming him “the whole time.”
He says “OK?” She continues, telling him she got the “mean stuff” he said on camera.
“OK?” he says again, seemingly shrugging it off.
“When I said my name was Pippi Longstocking? What are you going to do now? Are you going to go to the cops?” he questions.
The video ends with the worker throwing the drink at her and closing the drive-thru window. The customer starts laughing.
@siiiooo20 😮💨😮💨
♬ original sound – Sio
Sio later posted a video, again reiterating she is not the filmer. She also shares the customer posted the video on Facebook and asked her Facebook friends to share it.
Sio also screenshotted the woman’s Facebook comments about the incident. The woman’s name is redacted in the screenshot. A viewer on Facebook questioned the customer what led to the worker telling her to shut up.
The customer said in response she waited five to seven minutes at the intercom before saying “Hello.” The customer alleged the store wasn’t busy at the time.
“‘I’m busy I’ll be with you when I’m done SHUT UP!’” the customer recalled the worker allegedly saying.
Sio says the woman also said she called the police after the incident and got an attorney.
@siiiooo20 Replying to @henrrythevrgoat ♬ original sound – Sio
The three videos received a combined 800,000 views.
Sio says in her latest video that the incident happened in Abilene, Texas. Local news outlet KTAB/KRBC identified both the worker and customer and reported the incident occurred on July 9. The outlet also spoke with the worker’s mother, who shared her son has Asperger’s syndrome, which, according to Healthline, can affect how one communicates and socializes.
“We thought he was high-functioning enough that he could live a somewhat normal life,” Misty Donald said of her son, Ethan, who is reportedly 25 years old. “He doesn’t have the skills that he needs to logically think through a stressful situation. … I don’t want people to fear him.”
Misty called her son’s behavior in the video “unacceptable” and indicated he quit.
The Abilene Police Department told the Daily Dot the customer, Brittany Stevens, plans to “pursue this in civil court.”
Most of the top comments on the TikTok videos express empathy for the worker, pointing out how overworked he seemed. Many also accused the customer of “pestering” the worker.
“The moment he said he hasn’t had a day off in 2 weeks I felt for him and this lady just kept pestering him. He’s obviously extremely stressed out. Yet these people just love to pester and pester overworked and underpaid people to see how far they can push them. They don’t realize some people really do not care anymore and WILL happily snap back,” one said.
“Damn imagine not having a day off in two weeks, you’re at your breaking point and then this happens. I don’t excuse his behavior but I feel bad,” another said.
“He literally said he hasn’t had a day off in 2 weeks what did you expect this is what fast food workers have to go through,” a third commented.
Long John Silver’s told the Daily Dot in a statement: “Long John Silver’s has an unwavering commitment to providing a positive experience for all customers. We sincerely apologize for this incident, as it does not reflect our standard of customer service. We are aware of this issue and are taking the necessary steps to resolve it. We’ve reached out to the customer and are working to make things right.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Sio for comment via TikTok comment. The Daily Dot could not find Stevens on any social media platform.
This story was updated to include a comment by the Abilene Police Department.
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