Miami: Viral video shows angry diner flipping server’s tray on Mother’s Day, faces backlash

CCTV footage from Garcia’s Seafood Grill on the Miami River shows a man angrily leaving the restaurant on Mother’s Day and purposely knocking over a server’s tray full of food.

Garcia said the man was acting strangely from the moment he arrived. (@DramaAlert/ X)

“Needless to say, he was shocked,” said the restaurant’s owner, Luis Garcia. “He thought, ‘I’m going to get in so much trouble. People are not going to believe that somebody knocked it over—they’re going to think I dropped it.’”

Luckily for the server, the whole incident was recorded on camera. Since the video was shared online, people around the country have shown their support. Some have even called the restaurant to tip the server or pay for the ruined meal.

Garcia said the man was acting strangely from the moment he arrived. On the busy holiday, he reportedly pushed past a long queue of waiting guests and the hostess, bumped into a manager, and sat down without being shown to a table. When staff spoke to him, Garcia said, “He just wasn’t making a lot of sense. He was very irate, very angry, saying a lot of bad words.”

The outdoor seating area was full of families celebrating Mother’s Day when the man began shouting offensive language. When staff asked him to leave, things got worse – he followed the manager around the restaurant while yelling, and staff had to call the police.

“It could have gone really bad,” Garcia said. “My guys were aware of it quickly and got him out. I was proud of them.” Thankfully, no one was injured.

Garcia thinks the man may have been going through a mental health crisis. “Mother’s Day is a tough day for some people… Mental health is a real big problem, and I firmly believe this person had some mental health issues.”

Authorities are now trying to find the man, who may also be connected to other crimes on the same day.

“We’ve got to find him and get him some help,” Garcia said.

 

The video was shared on X, where this man’s action was widely criticised, where one of the user wrote, “That’s really frustrating, especially on Mother’s Day. Hope the server was okay.”

Another user chimed, “What a pathetic loser. May bad luck come his way.” A different user wrote, “Karma will take care of lil bro fr.”