MELBOURNE, Australia – A Melbourne chef was subjected to a violent attack involving a beer bottle after a group of youths surrounded his restaurant in Southbank. The incident occurred at 11pm on Thursday night when two individuals entered the Food Hall Thai restaurant on Gem Pl, demanding complimentary drinks. Upon being refused, the youths left, only to return with a larger group, totaling about 20 people, mostly teenagers, according to restaurant owner Terrance Khor. The “gang” allegedly assaulted the restaurant’s chef with a beer bottle. Mr. Khor revealed that a video of the incident showed the chef attempting to defend the restaurant against the group, who were also seen damaging the exterior of the establishment. Customers and staff reported the incident to the police but were informed that there were no officers available to attend. Instead, they were sent an email with a link to file a report, disappointing Mr. Khor, who expressed concern over the lack of response from law enforcement.
In a shocking turn of events, the restaurant staff felt scared by the group’s aggressive behavior, which ultimately resulted in a physical assault on one of the employees. The video footage depicted one of the offenders hurling what seemed to be a glass bottle at the chef, narrowly missing the person filming the incident and causing an injury to the chef’s neck. Furthermore, the group was captured on CCTV damaging the exterior of the restaurant, using chairs to smash windows and the front door, leaving Mr. Khor and his team feeling uncared for by the authorities. This marked a disturbing lack of response by the police, leading Mr. Khor to express his disappointment. As a result, the police have initiated an investigation into the incident and urged anyone with information or CCTV footage to contact Crime Stoppers. The violent attack on the chef has raised concerns about the safety of food and beverage business owners and their staff, especially when faced with such brazen acts of aggression.