MIAMI – A man was caught on camera knocking a tray out of a waiter’s hand, sending food all over the floor at a restaurant along the Miami River.
Luis Garcia, owner of Garcia’s Seafood Grille and Fish Market, said, “My first response was anger.”
Garcia was outraged after his cameras captured a man deliberately slapping a tray with more than a half-dozen plates full of food out of the hand of one of his servers.
Watch as the man is exiting through a glass door of the restaurant, located at 398 NW North River Drive, and just as that server walks by, he hits the edge of the tray, causing the food to crash to the floor.
The server is left with a look of confusion as the man casually walks away.
“He knocked over the tray full of food, which was unfortunate. It was Mother’s Day,” Garcia said. “We had to make that food again. We have to clean the floors.”
Garcia said that while the video is shocking to watch, the man first confronted his general manager, walking right past a line of families with Mother’s Day reservations.
“He literally walks up to our staff and kind of puts his chest (out), which is uncalled for,” Garcia said.
Video from the restaurant patio shows what Garcia said is the man demanding to be seated and as his general manager begins calling the police, he’s followed as he tries to avoid a confrontation after repeatedly asking the man to leave.
“When he was approached, he got aggressive,” Garcia said.
While days have passed since the disturbance for Garcia’s diners, he said he’s worried the person may have been mentally struggling with something more.
“This type of behavior warrants that we find this person,” Garcia said.
Since the incident, Garcia said several people have been calling to tip his server. He also says he’s fortunate none of his staff or customers were hurt.
Anyone who recognizes the man in the video is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.