A San Francisco bartender was fired after he tripped a belligerent customer who was attacking workers in an apparent meltdown over getting cut off from booze.
Miguel Marchese, 25, was sacked in an email on Saturday weeks after the wild caught-on-video clash at Hayes hotspot Hazie’s on Dec. 13 — when a screaming, intoxicated patron clashed with staff in an unhinged tantrum because her drinks were taken away.
Meanwhile no other employees involved in the melee were shown the door — including a co-worker seen body-slamming the woman during the height of the chaos.
The viral footage showed a high-ranking techie — later identified as Shireen Afkari, a marketing manager at fitness app Strava — yelling at staff, harassing employees, and even storming into the kitchen.
At one point, Afkari grabbed Marchese’s hair and refused to let go, the video showed. The boozed-up customer then tries to scramble back to the restaurant before Marchese sticks a foot out and sends Afkari face-planting onto the pavement.
The California Post is coming soon. Sign up for updates.
Get in early. Be the first to know about launch and home delivery.
Thanks for signing up!
Marchese was hailed by some as a hero for his intervention but management reportedly told him via email that he posed an “insurance risk” because he tripped the unruly customer, potentially exposing the restaurant to a lawsuit, Gazetteer SF reported.
Hazie’s, led by celebrity chef Joey Altman, allegedly offered Marchese a $5,000 severance package on the condition that he sign a non-disclosure agreement and promise not to sue. Marchese, who has since alleged the restaurant is under investigation for wage and tip theft, refused to sign.
Adding insult to injury, the restaurant also cited Marchese’s social media posts, where he criticized the establishment’s lack of communication following the assault.
“I’ve been slapped, I’ve been degraded, I’ve been given homophobic slurs, I’ve been sexualized … when you work in service for a long time, it fortifies you into a really resilient person,” Marchese previously told SF Gate.
Hazie’s didn’t respond to a request for comment.
