As yelling, fighting, and downright bad behaviour plague short-staffed restaurants, many are pleading with the public to ‘be kind,’ in signs throughout their restaurants. The rise in rude and sometimes dangerous behaviour is being blamed on frustration over mask and vaccine mandates, and slower service as restaurant staff quit in droves. In June 2021 alone, 722,000 food service workers walked away from jobs. At a burger joint in Manhattan, one worker says “I feel like we need a bodyguard inside.”
