‘All we can do is report to the police,’ LiHO tea owner says about customer who threw drink and straw at staff

SINGAPORE: Rodney Tang, who owns LiHO Tea, shared in a recent video about an unhappy customer who began to harass the staff who did not accommodate her request for less ice in her drink. She then threw her drink on the floor of the store.

The amount of ice for a customer who orders a student deal is standard, which is why the customer’s request was refused.

However, the irate customer also flung straws at the face of one of the staff members.

The incident took place on February 9 at around 6:00 in the evening at LiHO’s outlet at Hougang Mall.

Mr Tang, who also owns Gong Yuan Ma La Tang, posted the video on TikTok showing himself interviewing one of the staff who had the encounter with the irate customer.

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

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The staff said her coworker noticed that the customer seemed really upset.

When Mr Tang asked the staff why she had cried over the incident, she said she could not understand why the woman had been so mean and why she was “so consistently cussing us out.”

The LiHO owner told her he was sorry for what happened, and then handed her a little red envelope to cheer her up. After giving her New Year greetings, he thanked her for being so hardworking.

“All we can do is report to the police,” Mr Tang said, though he admitted that the company needs to refine its communication SOPs, including how to reduce upsetting guests.

He posted part of the screenshot of the police report filed by the staff, but emphasized that “Respect is the basis of communication.”

Mr Tang did tell Stomp, however, that he may consider an option for “less ice” for the student deal, adding that it would be worth it if it protected the LiHO staff.

The video has since gotten over 248,000 views, with many commenters appealing for respect for workers, who have no choice but to follow what the management set as standard operating procedures.

“Pls respect them as they’re just doing their job,” one wrote.

Others left comments about how LiHO’s Hougang Mall outlet is their favourite, as the staff there is so pleasant.

“Please let the staffs know we are on their side.. we know they are friendly,” a TikTok user wrote.

A number of commenters praised Mr Tang for the care he showed the staff, with one calling him a “very understanding” boss.

“Good that you posted this. Shows that the boss of LiHO took immediate steps to (1) verify with staff what happened, (2) express concern to staff who cried and also gave her an angpow, and (3) lodged police report so the nasty customer may be taken to task. Abuse of service staff should be taken very seriously. It was both physical and verbal abuse. Good reminder to the public,” another added. /TISG

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