Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Waiter Plotted Revenge Over Veggie Order?
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - What happens when a waiter gets one
complaint too many?
Police in Corona, California, say a waiter at a Sizzler
restaurant there went to the home of a family who complained
about his service and cooked up a special order on their lawn
-- eggs, flour, maple syrup and toilet paper.
Jonathan Voeltner, 20, was arrested on Saturday, suspected
of vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of minors --
his 17-year-old girlfriend and two younger brothers -- who
helped him deliver the midnight snack, police said.
All four were released pending a July 24 court appearance.
Sizzler has fired Voeltner, a corporate spokeswoman said.
Voeltner apparently became incensed on Friday evening when
Darlene Keller complained to a manager that he refused to swap
the potatoes that came with her meal for vegetables.
Keller subsequently got the cauliflower and broccoli she
requested, while Voeltner laid plans for a special recipe of
his own, said Corona police Sgt. Jerry Rodriguez.
"He had his girlfriend, a minor, follow the family home
when they left the restaurant to get their address," Rodriguez
said. "When he got off work she picked him up with his 17- and
10-year-old brothers."
The foursome went to a nearby grocery store and picked up
the ingredients for their revenge recipe, Rodriguez said.
After throwing eggs against the house, festooning the trees
with toilet paper and sprinkling the lawn with flour and maple
syrup, they rang the doorbell several times at about 1 a.m. and
waited to see Keller's reaction, Rodriguez said.
Upon seeing the mess, Keller called police, who arrived a
short time later and arrested the girlfriend and younger boys.
"The server came out of the bushes and (Keller) recognized
him," Rodriguez said. "She said, 'That's my waiter!"'
Sizzler spokeswoman Susan Hernandez said the chain "deeply
regrets" the incident and has offered the Kellers a free meal
and a landscaper to repair any damage to their home.
The best weapon against "fear" is "facts"!!
