Burger King employee fined $300 for removing mask during dispute with GrabFood deliveryman at AMK Hub

This story was submitted via Facebook. Click here to join our Facebook page.

This story was submitted via Stomp App contribution.

Click here to submit a story or submit it to our WhatsApp.

Update: GrabFood deliveryman in Burger King dispute shares his side of the story and the innocent photo that started it all

Original article:

A Burger King employee was fined $300 for flouting circuit breaker measures after he removed his face mask during a heated dispute with a GrabFood deliveryman in Ang Mo Kio.

Burger King Singapore has also since counselled the staff member, it told Stomp in a statement on Thursday (Apr 23).

The incident occurred at AMK Hub on Wednesday afternoon.

Several Stompers alerted Stomp to a video of the altercation that has gone viral online, showing the employee arguing with the deliveryman.

According to the video caption, the deliveryman alleged that the Burger King employee had hit his hand.

https://www.facebook.com/allsgstuff/videos/680860286071977/?v=6808602860...

In the video, the deliveryman can be heard saying, "Eh, take picture, want to fight ah?" and "Eh, everything is video now leh. Now everything, everywhere camera."

This causes the Burger King employee to reply, "Come ah, take ah."

The deliveryman also says, "Come ah" repeatedly, adding that he would call the police and "What kind of attitude is this?"

Despite onlookers and other staff members trying to diffuse the situation, the Burger King employee eventually removes his mask.

He also tells the deliveryman, "See my face!" and "I not scared of viral ah!"

Responding to queries by Stomp, the police said they were alerted to a case of voluntarily causing hurt at 53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 at 1.12pm.

"A 24-year-old man was issued with a composition fine of $300 for flouting the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures)(Control Order) Regulations 2020," said a police spokesman.

Stomp understands that the man who was fined is the Burger King employee in the video.

Ms Irene Tay, marketing director of Burger King Singapore, issued the following statement in response to the incident: "We understand and support the measures taken by government to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"As controls are tightened during the extension of the Circuit Breaker and Singaporeans are urged to stay at home during this difficult time, Burger King Singapore has since seen a surge in the demand for the delivery of meals.

"The closure of more F&B outlets after Prime Minister Lee’s announcement on Tuesday evening has resulted in another surge of delivery orders today as more people stay at home.

"The surge had brought immense pressure on our crew who have been working non-stop to prepare the meals.

"Most of our burgers require longer preparation time as these are prepared fresh on the grill. And with the need for the additional step to double pack our orders to ensure zero contact with our food, the time taken to prepare an order is now longer.

"The surge in orders for delivered meals has aggravated the tremendous pressure on both our crew and the delivery riders. Our team has been working tirelessly alongside delivery riders to fulfil the orders, while adhering to the new safe distancing guidelines.

"We would like to seek the understanding and patience of our customers as well as our delivery partners for the inevitable longer wait.

"At Burger King Singapore, we will continue to work hard to bring good value BK meals to the doorsteps of the customers at this difficult time.

"In light of the recent video footage, we understand that there was an incident between our crew at AMK and the delivery rider.

"During this time, our team had received a surge in orders via the delivery platform and despite best our efforts to fulfil the orders, it is taking much longer than usual.

"We again, ask for patience and understanding from our customers and delivery partners.

"We can empathize with the pressure that the rider is currently facing. However, we will not condone nor tolerate any abuse to our staff.

"Our staff come to work to prepare food for others, and it is important for all members of the public and our staff to be treated with courtesy and respect.

"We have a Dignity at Work and Zero Tolerance policy. This means that aggressive or violent behaviour towards our staff or any member of the public within our premises will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"We have since also counselled our staff and are proactively working with delivery partners on how best to streamline and manage the orders during this surge-in-demand period, in order to prevent such an incident from happening again.

"Providing good customer and delivery partner experience is very important to us."

A Grab spokesman told Stomp: "Grab is aware of this incident and investigations are ongoing.

"We encourage all users on our platform to treat one another with respect and kindness, especially during these trying times."