Another day, another minimum-wage worker getting harassed by an entitled customer. Only this time, we’ve got a dash of incel energy thrown into the mix. The incident happened at a Panera in Somerville’s Porter Square, Massachusetts. And in a twist of irony, the video we’re all watching wasn’t filmed by some horrified bystander. It was recorded by the incel himself, the very person who caused the scene in the first place.
From the footage, it seems the man was demanding a free cup of coffee. Allegedly, he believed this was valid because of his “Unlimited Sip Club” membership. The Panera employee, however, disagreed and rejected his request. That’s when things started to escalate.
The two exchanged words, but the man repeatedly cut the employee off, talking over her until she finally pulled out her phone. He assumed she was calling the manager or someone higher up, and while waiting, he muttered that he “couldn’t handle this female stuff” and even called her an idiot.
But then came the twist he clearly didn’t expect. The Panera worker wasn’t calling a manager at all. She was on the phone with the Somerville police. From her conversation, it became obvious this wasn’t the man’s first time causing trouble at this particular Panera. As she calmly relayed details to the officers, the man grew increasingly impatient. He accused her of lying, claiming he’d been there “multiple times” simply asking for his coffee, and then, in a fit of anger, called her a “low-life piece of crap.”
At one point, another customer who stayed off camera stepped in and confronted him. You could hear the man’s voice in the background as he spoke to the incel. The entitled customer tried to defend himself, but then he asked, “She’s saying I’m screaming. Am I screaming?” To which the other customer simply replied, “Yes.” The man fell silent for a moment.
Later, another customer approached the counter and successfully received a cup of coffee from the same employee. Seeing this, the incel tried once more to ask for his drink. The worker, completely done with the interaction, didn’t even bother replying. She simply walked into the kitchen. And that’s when the man, still filming, said that he would put her on TikTok.
Despite his confidence in uploading the interaction online, many internet users slammed his behavior. Most sided with the Panera employee, calling the Somerville man’s actions rude and entitled. One user commented, “If you really just came in for a cup, why are you filming, buddy? God, these types of customers are the worst.”
