Customer throws straw at LiHo staff's face in Hougang Mall after being told student promo can’t opt for ‘less ice’

A customer allegedly hurled a straw at a LiHO staff member’s face after being told that drinks that fall under a student promotion cannot be prepared with "less ice".

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at a LiHO outlet in Hougang Mall on Feb. 9 at around 5:50pm.

Police confirmed that a report had been lodged.

What happened

A TikTok video posted on Feb. 13 by LiHO founder Rodney Tang revealed that a customer had ordered a drink using a student discount and requested for less ice.

A 19-year-old staff said that under company policy, drinks purchased with the student promotion cannot be customised to have less ice.

Despite being informed, the customer allegedly insisted on the request and demanded that her order be prioritised.

The staff first prepared a drink with the standard ice level.

CCTV footage shared by Tang then showed the customer allegedly throwing the drink towards the counter.

When the drink was remade with less ice, she reportedly grabbed a handful of straws and threw them at the staff before stomping off with the drink.

Customer claimed to be a lawyer

A 17-year-old staff member told Shin Min the customer briefly showed a student pass, but also claimed to be a lawyer.

“She kept shouting at us, repeatedly asking for our names, saying she wanted to find our supervisor, and claiming she would call the police,” the staff member said.

The day after the incident, Tang visited the outlet to check on the affected employees and accompanied one of them to lodge a police report.

Both employees involved were said to be emotionally affected and later broke down in tears.

"This customer lost her mind, verbally abused our staff, and even threw objects. All we can do is report to the police," Tang said in Mandarin.

He added that the company will review and refine its policies in hopes of preventing similar incidents in the future.

Police confirmed that investigations are ongoing.

You can watch the full video here:

@rodney.tangBREAKING:Staff abused & items thrown，Let’s find out what happened. #RodneyTang #F&BEntrepreneurship #BusinessMindset #singapore #LiHOTEA #respect #BubbleTea #CCTV♬ original sound - Rodney Tang

Top image via Harold Ng on Google Maps and  Rodney Tang on TikTok