Two Bartenders Allegedly Face a Violent Customer. Then the Restaurant Fires Them and Threatens a Lawsuit: ‘Buckle Up’
Two bartenders were allegedly let go from the restaurant.
Bartending is a job with its own list of pros and cons, and everyone will have their own stories of dealing with unruly patrons. TikTok content creator Kelly (@kellybrooke.m) claimed that she and a fellow bartender were assaulted by a customer during their shift at a restaurant in Gilbert, Arizona, and shared the aftermath of the traumatic event that got both bartenders fired in a video.
Kelly claimed the incident happened a year before she shared the video, on Halloween 2025. According to Kelly, a man, accompanied by his alleged wife, was drinking that night. Kelly claimed that she and her coworker confirmed with the patrons that they wouldn’t be driving after drinking.
As the night went on, Kelly alleged that the man started becoming visibly and verbally aggressive toward his companion, who “honestly looked scared.” After the couple left, Kelly claimed she was manning the bar by herself when her coworker frantically ran back inside and told her that the man had thrown a glass at her head.
Kelly allegedly confronted the man at the parking lot
“So we both go outside, and she gets on the phone with 911. I have my phone out ready to record. And when he sees both of us, he’s about to get into his truck with his wife, […] he turns around and beelines,” Kelly recalled. The bartender claimed she started recording when the man began swinging at her head, and that the man would’ve continued to do so had people not come out to see the commotion.
She says the couple was gone when the police arrived, and they initially were unable to identify him. According to Kelly, they were able to identify the man’s license plate with the help of mall security’s footage, but asked for the public’s help in identifying his name. She confirmed that she and her fellow bartender were “safe and physically okay,” but the incident left them “shaken up.” She confirmed that they were also pressing charges.
In Kelly’s most recent update on July 27, she recounted how she attended the man’s arraignment in March. According to Kelly, he was facing two counts of assault, two counts of disorderly conduct, one count of reckless driving, one count of DUI, and one count of criminal damage at the time. The man was allegedly not allowed contact with either of the victims. Kelly alleges the man responded to the judge’s order with: “Can we make sure that goes both ways?”
The man’s charges were allegedly dropped
According to Kelly, the man was offered a plea deal during his arraignment, to which he allegedly accepted. Kelly claimed the man completed counseling for substance abuse and is currently being charged for disorderly conduct and reckless driving. The two assault charges were apparently dropped.
Kelly claimed she and her fellow bartender were fired from the restaurant following the incident and reiterated that her account of the incident matched police records. Since then, she says she’s sought legal advice and got an attorney to take her case on contingency. Employees being fired for customer behavior is, sadly, far from a rare occurance.
According to the TikToker, her former workplace had denied her claims and threatened to sue for defamation after a demand letter was sent to the restaurant. However, Kelly claimed to have screenshots, messages, and recordings that support her account of the incident.
Kelly claimed she has until November to decide whether to push forward or drop the lawsuit. “Although my lawyer is taking me on contingency, that does not include court costs, expert witness fees, etc.” The bartender said. “I would have to pay for all of that out of pocket for however long the legal battle lasts.”
The bartender would do it all over again
Regarding her silence on the legal proceedings, Kelly said she wanted to avoid making errors that could potentially give the restaurant or the man a loophole in the case. “So for anyone that’s been wondering if I just gave up and stopped fighting, I promise you I haven’t,” she said. “The process is meant to be tedious. The process is meant to wear you down. No one wants to fight for you; you have to fight for yourself. So buckle up.”
TikTok users shared their frustration with the legal system, and many were appalled by her firing and the court’s decision to drop the man’s assault charges. “They shouldn’t be allowed to drop assault charges without the victim’s permission,” one commenter said. “You can also sue the guy civilly. Go for his money. Pretty easy to prove he caused you to reasonably anticipate violent contact.”
Although Kelly didn’t receive the outcome she hoped, she stated that she didn’t regret her actions: “I would not let my coworker go back out to face this six-foot, bulky man alone because he was very clearly already violent.” She stated that she is content to know that the man’s “heinous actions” are going to be on the internet forever.
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