Waitress saw rude customer trying to give his number to 'underaged girls'—within seconds, she put him in his place
Seeing a customer in need or encountering danger calls for action, no matter what position you’re in. More than a professional characteristic, it is plain humanity to step up. Sondra Albert, a waitress at Long Island’s Massapequa Diner, was done with an unruly customer, Inside Edition reported. When he crossed the line by trying to make underage customers feel uncomfortable, she refused to stand down. According to The New York Post, Louis Cozzolino, who also happened to be at the diner at the time, shot the footage and shared it online.
The man explained how the customer was a pain from the beginning. He was seated alone and “was being repeatedly rude and calling her a b**ch.” Despite being moved away, the man’s ruthless acts wouldn’t end. He continued to “stare” at underage girls and tried to give his number. “He’s made side comments to young girls — 16 and 17,” she explained, per News 12. That’s when Albert had had enough and approached the creep. Keeping in mind he was a customer, she gave him a warning but he got defensive about it. Seeing him so negligent about his behavior, the server took a stand.
“You’re not going to call me a b**ch, you’re not going to sit near my boss’ wife, you’re not going to call people a lesbian — you sure as hell ain’t going to look at underage girls,” the waitress boldly said to the man, with confident gestures and a stern tone. He continued to defend himself and when asked to leave, he refused. “Honestly, nobody wants to wait on you. We’re asking very nicely, so please just leave,” Albert persistently said. When he renounced the accusation of staring at the girls, the waitress had an even bolder response. “You’re a pedophile and freak and you deserve to be locked up in Bellevue. And that’s all I gotta say and I’m asking you nicely,” she said.
Not feeling a single bit of embarrassment or remorse, the customer inaudibly spoke for himself and Albert ignored his defense. He then brought up a 2-week-old claim that she was biased and refused to serve him. “I didn’t want to serve you for no reason? Did you take a good look in the mirror?” the server responded. Many of the waitresses and frequent diners were already on Albert’s side. They knew her to be better and were assured that if she was going off on someone, it was for a good reason. It was noted that the customer was no new menace; he’d been harassing multiple servers every time he walked into the diner.
“He’s been harassing the waitresses for a while,” Albert explained, recalling an instance where he called one of the staff members “a monkey.” “He’s been moved around at least six times previously that I’ve seen; nobody wants to wait on him,” the woman added. Cozzolino also supported the waitress and said, “Sondra is the nicest person ever and for her to get like that, I knew the guy was a p**ck.”
The restaurant erupted in applause, including the waitresses and customers, who’d long seen and experienced the man’s horrendous behavior. When they couldn’t get him to leave, they threatened to call the police, which made the man walk out. Speaking of her act, Albert said that in 15 years of her service, she hadn’t seen someone so relentlessly shameful and disrespectful. “It’s a different kind of abuse and I’ve never exploded like that before. I love the Massapequa Diner patrons, they’re the sweetest in the world and they should know that their kids are safe when they come in here,” she added.