Customer allegedly throws straws at LiHo staff in Hougang Mall outlet, police report made

Customer allegedly threw straws at LiHo staff after being denied less ice

A customer allegedly threw straws at staff of a LiHo Tea outlet in Hougang Mall after being denied less ice in her drink.

CCTV footage of the act was posted in a TikTok video uploaded by LiHo founder Rodney Tang last Friday (13 Feb).

Customer throws straws at LiHo staff, hitting her in the face

In the clip, which had the timestamp of 5.57pm on 9 Feb, showed the female customer pushing a drink off the counter and onto the floor.

At 6.04pm, the customer was seen grabbing a bunch of straws and throwing them at a staff member, hitting her in the face.

She then stormed off after the shocking display.

Customer asked for student discount, but also less ice

Visiting the outlet, Mr Tang asked an employee what happened, to which she replied that a customer had harassed her and her co-worker.

The woman had initially wanted a student discount, but also asked for less ice.

But she was told that under the company’s policy, the “less ice” option is not available for drinks ordered under the student discount.

When the employee tried to confirm this with her co-worker, the customer started insulting her co-worker, claiming that she was “being rude”.

Customer threw straws as she seemed ‘really upset’

So incensed was the customer that she threw her drink on the floor inside the outlet, the employee said.

As for the straws, her co-worker said they were thrown at her face as the customer seemed “really upset”.

The incident was so traumatic that the girl Mr Tang interviewed broke down in tears, as she explained:

I didn’t understand why she was so mean.

Adding to the ordeal, the customer was consistently “cussing us out”, she added.

To make up for the experience, Mr Tang gave the girl an ang pao for Chinese New Year as a way of thanking her for her hard work.

Police report filed over incident

In the video, Mr Tang said the customer had “lost her mind” and verbally abused his staff, even throwing objects at them.

Thus, he accompanied one of them to make a police report over the incident.

In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that a report was lodged.

Businesses should prioritise staff well-being: LiHo founder

Mr Tang said that the company would refine its standard operating procedures (SOPs) on communication to reduce the likelihood of customers getting upset.

In the caption, he also said the incident was “a wake-up call” for business leaders to prioritise the well-being of their staff, adding:

Healthy work relationships contribute significantly to a brand’s reputation and success.

The focus continues to be on ensuring respect and dignity in the workplace, he noted, maintaining that “the reality of employee well-being should not be overshadowed by success and profits”.

He also urged the community to reflect on how incidents like these affect not just the individuals involved, but the broader work environment.

Also read: ZUS Coffee M’sia defends staff who threw cup at customer after she splashed coffee over her

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Featured image adapted from @rodney.tang on TikTok.