Philadelphia restaurant offers $5,000 to find customer who allegedly threw a cheesesteak in an employee’s face, then he turns himself in
This beef got expensive.
A Philadelphia restaurant offered $5,000 to help find a customer who allegedly threw a cheesesteak in an employee’s face and ran away. However, the search ended sooner than expected when the man turned himself in.
The incident unfolded at Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia. Surveillance footage shows a customer ordering a cheesesteak, then sitting outside the restaurant and pulling the sandwich apart. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the man later returned to the service window to complain about it.
Surveillance footage appears to show him exchanging words with general manager Tom Francano, but the complaint didn’t stay verbal for long. He allegedly threw the cheesesteak in Francano’s face and ran off. Police said Francano was not injured.
Pat’s offered $5,000 to find the customer
Restaurant owner Frank Olivieri offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the man’s arrest and conviction. He told NBC10 Philadelphia that Francano has worked at Pat’s for decades and had never experienced anything like it.
The customer also appeared to be recording his visit. Footage from his perspective later surfaced on YouTube and Instagram, where he reportedly described himself as a content creator who reviews restaurants and throws food back at employees when he doesn’t like it.
Olivieri suspected the confrontation was staged for social media attention. That motive has not been confirmed by police, but the customer’s own recording ultimately created another trail. Olivieri told The Inquirer that Pat’s IT team traced the footage to social media accounts featuring prank, music, and Philadelphia street content.
Pat’s isn’t the only restaurant where a customer complaint has allegedly turned into flying food. A New York server said one diner from a 25-person group threw her half-eaten burger onto a neighboring table, while a Starbucks barista said a drive-thru customer threw a drink lid at her after insisting on a lid that didn’t exist.
The man turned himself in
Philadelphia police said the man turned himself in the day after the incident. Authorities have not publicly identified him or said what prompted his surrender.
Police later charged him with harassment, a summary offense. Olivieri has since given the $5,000 reward to someone who contacted him with information, although authorities have not linked that tip to the man’s decision to surrender.
Pat’s is also considering a ban on filming at the restaurant following the confrontation. Francano had a simpler take. He told news outlets that a customer who doesn’t like the cheesesteak could simply be “a little nicer about it.”
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