"Do You Think You Can Survive in This Neighborhood?"... Customer Made Store Owner Kneel for Not Bringing a Straw

Complaint over missing straw in drink delivery order
Sent cake as an apology, but customer visited store
"Doing business like that" commotion... Store owner expresses distress

"Is this how you provide service? Never run your business like that again. Do you think you can survive in this neighborhood?"

A controversy has erupted after a customer, angry that her ordered drink came without a straw, unleashed harsh words and actions at a cafe owner. On the 8th, SBS reported, "On the 4th, a woman identified as Ms. A visited a cafe in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, forced the owner Mr. B to kneel, and received an apology."

Ms. A initially placed a delivery order but complained to the store because the straw was missing. In response, Mr. B sent a cake along with the straw as an apology through the delivery driver. However, due to an address error, the delivery was delayed, prompting Ms. A to visit the store in person to demand an apology.

According to the cafe’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, Ms. A entered the cafe and briefly spoke with Mr. B. Afterwards, Mr. B came out to the counter and knelt in front of Ms. A. Ms. A waved her hand and loudly protested, saying, "Don’t run your business like that," and the commotion lasted about five minutes. Passersby stopped and looked inside the cafe, and only then did Ms. A leave. Until that moment, Mr. B was still kneeling.

Mr. B said that even after apologizing again following Ms. A’s arrival, the protests continued, so he asked, "What should I do?" The response he received was, "At least kneel." Mr. B told SBS, "Apologizing quickly was the easiest way. Then she said, 'Is kneeling so easy for you?'" Ms. A stated, "The owner’s attitude when bringing the straw back was disrespectful," and added, "If he had apologized quickly, I wouldn’t have made him kneel."

Mr. B said, "After that incident, I barely drank a few sips of water. I didn’t want to see customers or come to the store," and complained that he has been continuously suffering from dizziness and headaches. On that day, Mr. B filed a police complaint against Ms. A for obstruction of business and insult.