Grab delivery rider arrested after raising a ruckus at bubble tea shop
A GrabFood delivery rider has been arrested in relation to an incident at the Playmade bubble tea shop at Waterway Point on Tuesday evening.
In viral videos, the man can be seen shouting aggressively in Mandarin, demanding the staff in the shop come out.
Security personnel and at least two other men tried to get him to calm down, but he appeared to have persisted with the confrontation.
A police spokesman said they received a call for assistance at the mall at 83 Punggol Central at about 9.40pm on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old delivery rider was arrested for public nuisance and investigations are ongoing.
In a statement yesterday, Playmade said demand for its drinks suddenly surged after the announcement that the stricter circuit breaker measures would mean the closure of its outlets.
Within an hour, the Waterway Point outlet received more than 150 orders via delivery alone, for a total of about 600 cups of bubble tea.
DEMAND
"While long queues were building up at our store, a Grab driver expressed his impatience at one of our staff and repeatedly demanded to know how long he would have to wait," said the Playmade spokesman.
"Under pressure and out of frustration, our staff responded that if he had to give an estimate, it would be 'a f****** long' wait. The driver reacted angrily and asked our staff for an apology."
The spokesman said the worker apologised to the man and tried to defuse the situation.
She added that Playmade has since counselled the staff member who is deeply remorseful for his "uncouth choice of adjective".
Playmade also apologised to the Grab driver, its customers and other delivery riders who were affected by the incident.
A Grab spokesman said it was aware of the incident and is assisting in investigations.
She said: "These are challenging times for all of us, and we would urge more patience and understanding among all users."
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