Customer satisfaction isn’t always a top priority; sometimes it takes a few hair strands to blow off the steam in an argument. In a Popeyes restaurant, the tension between the staff and the customer got so bad that one of the employees started pulling the customer’s hair out.
Denetra Dawson, a mother from Atlanta, Georgia, drove to Popeyes to grab dinner for her children. When she realized her order was wrong, she went to the drive-thru window to voice her concerns and have the meal fixed.
The employees weren’t emphatic to her concerns and they began screaming at her for delaying the timed drive-thru service.
Soon after, one of the workers ran towards Dawson’s car and opened the passenger door, then jumped into her car and started to assault her. Dawson said the worker ripped her hair out of her scalp, resulting in a noticeable bald spot.
Police later identified the abusive staff as manager Tenister Evans along with her sister and daughter.
“They recovered and saw her braid that they ripped out and said we ripped that ‘B’s’ hair out of her head,” attorney Mawuli Davis said.
For a lady hoping to get her chicken order rectified, she didn’t expect to walk away with less hair. “It took my identity. I took pride in my hair,” Dawson said. “I didn’t even think I was going to make it back to my kids.”
A spokesperson for Popeyes Restaurants said: “We have absolutely no tolerance for violence of any kind in Popeyes restaurants. The franchisee of this restaurant confirmed the incident took place in September 2022, and the employees involved were immediately terminated. We cannot share any additional details as there is an active lawsuit related to this incident.”
All three workers were charged with battery, and Evans was subject to an “additional charge of obstruction of an officer.”
Dawson filed the lawsuit as a way to deter other employees from acting in a similar fashion. “I just pray that what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else and that I get justice,” Dawson said.
Hopefully, Dawson wins the fight for justice. Nobody wants to be leaving Popeyes with a new look.