You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here—unless you’re a champion. That’s what this Austin, Texas bartender learned after calling out Max Verstappen and realizing his mistake.
Noah Hyatt (@thenoahhyatt), who works at The Blind Pig Pub, confessed to his faux pas in a video posted to his TikTok account. He also offered an apology for not recognizing the racing star.
The video was posted on Monday and already has over 319,400 views.
Why did he call out Max Verstappen?
“It is Formula 1 race week here [in Austin], and we are slam-packed,” Hyatt tells his viewers. “I’m talking shoulder-to-shoulder, max capacity.”
“It gets to that point in the night where we’re closing down. We’re trying to get everyone out of this building,” he says.
Hyatt says he proceeded to ask customers to leave the premises several times.
“So, it gets to the point where I’m raising my voice,” Hyatt states, noting that one group at the back of the bar hadn’t moved at all.
Hyatt says he then asked them to leave at the top of his voice. “Please walk towards the exit!.” It was then that a manager told him, “This group is good [to stay].”
“Why are they good?” he asked indignantly. He then says that as he was cleaning some cups off the guests’ table, he made eye contact with one of the patrons.
“It’s Max Verstappen,” he says.
Who’s Max Verstappen?
For those unfamiliar with Formula 1 racing, the name might mean little, but Max Verstappen is royalty in the racing world.
The 27-year-old Dutch-Belgian racer first came to fame at the age of 17 as Formula 1’s youngest-ever competitor.
Verstappen, who drives for Red Bull Racing, has won three Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, as well as 61 Grands Prix across 10 seasons.
According to Formula 1, “Verstappen’s no-holds-barred attitude and hard defending have sometimes landed him in hot water with his peers and paymasters.”
“But the mistakes that initially marred his potential have given way to maturity, while the bravado and energy that make him a blockbuster talent have remained – and the victories have kept on coming.”
@thenoahhyatt Max if you’re seeing this I’m sorry for yelling @Red Bull Racing #formula1 #maxverstappen #redbullracing #austintx #fyp ♬ original sound – Noah
Did anything happen to the bartender after the callout?
So what happens if you call out Max Verstappen?
In a follow-up video, Hyatt says that Verstappen’s party was allowed to stay so that the racing star wouldn’t be mobbed upon leaving the bar. He states their party was instead allowed to exit out the back after the crowd thinned out.
Hyatt also explicitly states that neither Verstappen nor anyone else at the table was allowed to drink after closing time, per TABC rules.
As for Hyatt, he states in his original video’s caption, “Max if you’re seeing this I’m sorry for yelling.”
The Daily Dot reached out to The Blind Pig via email for a statement.
What viewers thought about the callout
“I would’ve died right there,” F1fangirl96 (@f1fangirl96) wrote in the video’s comments section.
“I would die of embarrassment every time I remember they’ll know me as the person yelling at them (lol but u were not wrong),” another viewer stated.
Most viewers seemed to agree that Hyatt was in the right by asking them to move along.
“Honestly you’re valid tho, coming from someone who just wants to close but the customers WON’T GO AWAY,” said one.
Another added, “As is your right at close!!!”
The Daily Dot reached out to Hyatt via email and TikTok direct message for further comment.
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