"Why Won't You Change My Seat?"... 'Troublesome Pastor' Demands Refund After Eating All the Meat

CCTV footage showing a customer without a mask. Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A pastor’s behavior of demanding a refund and verbally abusing staff after eating at a restaurant was exposed on an online community, drawing criticism from netizens.

Recently, a post titled "A pastor who threatened to get a refund after finishing the food and leaving, this is absurd" was uploaded on an online community. The author introduced themselves as a couple running a restaurant in Gyeonggi-do.

The author described the restaurant’s interior, saying, "There are a total of 20 tables in the store, and each seat is separated by partitions." They continued, "The problematic customer was seated at a table with a built-in chair. Then, another customer came and sat next to them." They explained, "If the problematic customer had asked to change seats, we would have moved them to another table, but they said nothing until they were leaving."

The author added, "The customer said they were very upset, so I apologized and explained the situation," and "The customer, without wearing a mask, continued to curse loudly and then left." They also revealed, "Five minutes after the customer left, they called the store and said those things," sharing a recorded transcript of the call.

The approximately 8-minute recording attached by the author contains the customer threatening and verbally abusing the author with phrases such as, "What do you think you can solve if you answer the phone as the owner?" and "You failed to provide service. We paid our money but felt bad." The customer’s absurd demands included "Refund the meat cost," and threats like "If customers report you for violating quarantine rules, it’s over."

The author expressed their feelings, saying, "When I saved the customer’s phone number, it showed they were a literary writer, a nursing assistant, and a pastor. I never imagined such words would come from someone who is a pastor." They also appealed their innocence, stating, "We did not violate quarantine rules and always wear masks. We conduct daily disinfection ourselves and are known as a store that does not accept groups of five or more."

The post received nearly 2,000 comments. Netizens responded with remarks such as, "How can a religious person say such things without feeling ashamed?", "The owner couple must have been very shocked; my heart hurts for them," "Stay strong, and I hope this is handled well legally so you get compensation," "The owner is truly compassionate. How can they endure such a difficult customer like that?" and "Isn’t this a person who has lost all common sense?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.