Covirus 19 coronavirus: KFC workers abused on the first day after closure

A KFC employee revealed the abuse she and her co-workers had to face on their first day back after the lockout cut.

Starting Monday, restaurants and cafes were allowed to reopen at Alert Level 3 with some restrictions, including contactless service.

This caused long lines across the country as people anxiously waited for their fast food solution.

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However, it also caused customers to become abusive to employees.

A KFC North Shore worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, revealed that as closing time approached they ran out of the original chicken and had to give customers alternatives, which angered some customers.

But when 10 p.m. came, she said she and her co-workers suffered a great deal of abuse, including yelling and swearing.

The worker explained that she was told to go down the long line and advise people to go home when they were closed.

She said some clients were obviously upset by the news, but others intensely “aggro” and insulted her.

A customer yelled at him that he had waited three hours to eat and that they should serve people in line, he recalled.

“The more aggressive he turned on me through his car window, the more I kept backing up.”

Finally, he got out of the car before she quickly apologized and left.

While informing other customers in line about the closing time, the man continued to abuse her until he gave up, the employee said.

When he returned, he said he could hear customers yelling at their coworkers at the KFC window.

In another incident, he said a customer yelled at his co-worker and would not leave until they were given chicken. The client won their battle and got some food, but still called one of them a b **** before leaving.

In the end, workers closed all windows and ignored customers who were determined to order, even though the automatic speaker told them they were closed, he said.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website

The employee said she was terrified of returning to work due to the abuse it entailed, adding that she doesn’t want to accidentally take the virus home while living with her grandparents, one with an underlying condition.

She has urged customers to “relax” when it comes to buying fast food and thinking about their actions towards employees.

“We are trying to do the best we can. We are putting ourselves at risk, forced to go to work. We do not want to break our quarantine, but we have been asked to return to provide food for people.”

“At the end of the day, you choose to wait in line for three hours. No one forces you to. If we close at 10 p.m., you should be on the lookout for the hour and not be angry when we close.

“We won’t be closing permanently any time soon. If you miss your K fry today, you can always come back the next day.”

The Herald has contacted Restaurant Brands, the company that owns KFC, for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

During the Level 4 alert blockade, abuse and violence towards Countdown employees increased 600% as supermarkets were one of the few essential businesses that remained open during that period.

The panic buying was plentiful during the first few weeks of closing, with tensions often overflowing with disgruntled customers.

Despite the change to Alert Level 3 this week, Countdown stores were kept busier than normal, general manager of health and safety Kiri Hannifin.

“Unfortunately, we are still seeing a worrying level of abuse against our team and this has not decreased even as we transition to Alert Level 3.”

In early April, a woman was charged with common assault after allegedly hitting the Warkworth Countdown manager in the face.

The 45-year-old woman was arrested and is due to appear in North Shore District Court on May 14.

In late March, a Pak’nSave worker in Bay of Plenty was spit on after a confrontation with a client.