07/09/2026
I witnessed something today at McDonald's Hope Island that genuinely shocked me.
When I first looked over, a woman had unwrapped her burgers and was yelling, "this is disgusting," and "this is terrible service", whilst fiddling with the food. She stormed up to the counter, demanded a refund, tossed the food around on the counter, and started unloading on the young staff. She wanted the manager. The manager came over. She was probably in her early twenties. She stayed calm, polite and professional while this woman continued to belittle her. The other staff looked like they were barely out of school.
I've worked in hospitality before and dealt with difficult customers, but I've never witnessed someone behave so aggressively towards workers. I couldn't just sit there. As she walked away from the counter, I said, "Don't speak to them like that."
She immediately turned on me. She approached me, got right up in my space, pointed her finger in my face and told me to mind my own business. I told her I wasn't going to sit there while young workers were bullied for doing their jobs. I joked that if she wanted a five-star meal, George's Paragon was just down the road. This is McDonalds. She eventually walked away saying, "I'm better than you. You're down here," while gesturing that I was beneath her. As she left, she made a spitting noise in my direction. The moment I spoke up for the staff, I became the next person she tried to bully.
When I mentioned she was giving South Africans a bad reputation today, she called me racist. My parents are South African. They're good, hard working people, and this woman's behaviour was embarrassing. Given how aggressive she became, I wouldn't be surprised if she tells a completely different version of events. I have no issue putting my name to this story. If anyone wants to question what happened, the CCTV footage from McDonald's Hope Island will speak for itself.
I don't need praise for saying something. More people simply need to be willing to stand up for those who can't always stand up for themselves, and call out bad behaviour when they see it. If you're an adult, especially another bloke, don't stand there while someone abuses a teenager or a young worker who's simply trying to earn an honest dollar. Say something!
The manager thanked me afterwards. I told her nobody should have to cop that at work. The more ordinary people who are willing to speak up when they see someone being treated like dirt, the better our communities become. And if you're the manager at McDonald's Hope Island and you happen to read this, you handled yourself incredibly well. Your staff did too. You should never feel like you have to accept that sort of behaviour as part of the job... it isn't.
