A Nando’s waitress was brutally attacked by a customer who hit her in the face with a plate while she was trying to serve him.
The “savage” and “unprovoked” assault took place in March at a branch in Stratford, London, and footage of the incident went viral overnight after being shared on X.
In it, the waitress is seen approaching a table where a bearded man, wearing a black hat and a dark hoodie, is sitting with a woman and a baby.
As the Nando’s waiter places a plate of food on her table, security cameras capture the moment the thug attacks and slaps her in the face with a plate of food.
The force of the brutal blow sends the stunned waitress flying backwards, clutching her face, as horrified diners nearby turn to watch the drama.
Shocking video has emerged showing the moment a Nando’s waitress was hit in the face with a plate by a disgruntled customer.
The suspect, pictured, was filmed punching the woman in the face before leaving the restaurant in Stratford, London. Police are now searching for him.
The battered worker then leaves the scene as her attacker stands up and walks away from the table with the woman and child, leaving behind a plate full of food.
It is not known what triggered the man’s violent outburst, but images of the attack were uploaded to the Internet on Wednesday evening.
A woman, who claimed to have been the waitress who was assaulted, shared the clip on X, and the video has racked up more than 20 million views since last night.
“There is no way I would have gone on this app and watched myself being assaulted,” she wrote.
The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police, but the woman who shared the video criticised the force’s response.
She wrote: “The police were present at the time, I informed them and they let him go without taking his details or checking the security cameras. I filed a complaint against the officers and his supervisor responded to me and basically said, ‘They are human and they made a mistake. ’”
The Metropolitan Police said it was “aware” of the video footage and was investigating why officers “did not move quickly” on the incident.
A spokesperson told MailOnline: “A report of assault was made to police at the time of the incident, however it appears that officers did not deal with it promptly. “We are working to determine why this happened and accept that this is not the level of service that Londoners should rightfully expect from the Metropolitan Police.”
The video shows the waitress placing a plate of food on the table seconds before the man attacked her.
After being hit with the plate, the waitress appears to stagger backwards away from the table as other customers turn around and watch the drama.
The male attacker and a woman and the baby she was sitting with are then seen leaving the scene.
‘We have since contacted the victim and a statement has been taken; we will endeavour to keep her informed of the progress of this investigation.
‘There have been no arrests and investigations are underway to locate the man involved.
‘Anyone who can provide information about this incident is asked to call 101 ref CAD 1872/21 Aug.’
Viewers on social media said they were horrified by the attack and called the man’s actions “disgusting”, “criminal” and “savage”.
“This man is crazy! Seriously, why is he doing this? Is he sick? How savage!” one person wrote.
Another user added: “Assaulting someone over food? That’s a one-way ticket to jail. Seems like even working in a restaurant doesn’t guarantee safety. Pathetic.”
A third person wrote: “Assaulting someone over food? That’s a one-way ticket to jail. It seems like even working in a restaurant doesn’t guarantee safety. Pathetic.”
In a statement, a Nando’s spokeswoman said: “This was a shocking and unprovoked attack that took place earlier this year. We reported it to the police immediately and have supported our colleague ever since.”
“We will not tolerate this type of behavior, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our priority.”
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