A 17-year-old hostess at Chili's was allegedly attacked by a group of women for enforcing the restaurant's social distancing rules, according to reports on Tuesday. The teen alleged she was hit in the eye with a 'wet floor' signboard leaving her bloodied.
The incident happened on Sunday at Chili's restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kelly Wallace, the hostess, said the group of women wanted to be seated together but she refused them due to the restaurant's social distancing guidelines. According to the restaurant's guidelines, more than six people were not allowed to be seated at a single table. However, the group that was more than 10 women insisted on seating together.
17-Year-Old Allegedly Hit by Group of Women
After the group got upset, Wallace called the store manager. Upon the manager's arrival, the women and Wallace got into an argument. "I'm 17-years-old. They're like, 20, 30, and the woman that pushed me looked like she was 40. So I'm standing there, they're on me, beating me. I'm standing there trying to hit them, trying to get all of them off me. And the lady, she takes a wet floor sign and slams it in my eye. And I had blood rushing everywhere," Wallace told CBS8.
The teen sustained injuries on her face, scalp, and nails and received stitches above her eye. She said she was trying to make sure the restaurant's guidelines were followed. "I was just trying to follow the rules and make sure that I wasn't going to get in trouble," she WAFB9. "Like this is just overwhelming. I just cannot believe that this happened to me of all people."
The teen is reportedly a straight-A student and aspired to be an emergency medical technician. Baton Rouge police were alerted about the assault but by the time they arrived, the group had fled the scene. Chili's released a statement to WAFB9 saying it did not tolerate violent behavior.
"We care deeply for every ChiliHead and are disappointed by the incident that took place at our Baton Rouge Chili's on August 9. We do not tolerate violent behavior in our restaurants, and are taking this incident very seriously as the safety and health of our Team Members and Guests is our top priority," the statement read. Following the incident, Wallace quit her job. The assault angered Twitter users as they offered their support to Wallace.
