Bartender Says He's Been Fired After Tripping Customer in Viral Altercation at Celebrity Chef-Owned Restaurant Miguel Marchese said he was terminated after a video showed him being assaulted by intoxicated customers outside Hazie’s

 

A San Francisco bartender was fired weeks after a violent altercation outside a celebrity chef-owned restaurant drew widespread attention online. Miguel Marchese said he was terminated from Hazie’s by email over the weekend, effective the following day, according to SF Gazetteer.

Marchese, 25, had worked at the Hayes Valley restaurant since 2023. Hazie’s, helmed by chef Joey Altman, became the focus of viral outrage last month after videos showed customers attacking staff during a confrontation on Dec. 13.

Footage from the night captured Marchese attempting to remove the customers as they yelled at him and other employees. With help from coworkers and bystanders, he escorted the couple outside as tensions escalated.

Stock photo of a barman having a dispute with a customer.

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The situation began after the intoxicated pair was refused service, Marchese previously told SFGATE. He said the woman then stormed into restricted areas of the restaurant, intensifying the conflict.

Videos circulating on social media showed the woman recording the staff while accusing them of harassment. In another clip, she appeared to strike an employee as chaos unfolded around her.

Once outside, the confrontation continued on the sidewalk. The woman grabbed Marchese by the hair and refused to let go as onlookers repeatedly urged her to stop.

“I ask people to put themselves in my shoes,” Marchese said of the moment. “Imagine that not only are you sick with laryngitis, but your hair is being viciously pulled out of your head.”

Marchese said he was eventually able to break free after tossing the woman’s phone away. As she ran after it, a video appears to show her tripping over his leg and falling onto the sidewalk, a moment he later said became central to management’s decision to fire him.

According to SF Gazetteer, Marchese was later told that his actions posed an insurance concern should the customer attempt to sue. He said the customer never contacted the restaurant or pursued legal action.

The move came after he criticized management’s communication with staff in a social media post following the incident, according to documents reviewed by the outlet. The termination occurred roughly three weeks after the videos first went viral.

No other employees involved in the altercation were fired, including the worker seen restraining the woman on the ground. Marchese said he was offered a $5,000 severance package if he agreed not to speak about his employment or pursue legal claims, which he declined.

The woman involved was arrested outside the restaurant and later fired from her job, as per SF Gazetteer. Her identity circulated widely online in the days after the incident.

Stock photo of a male bartender.

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In the weeks following the viral incident, Hazie’s saw an outpouring of public support. Marchese said customers stopped by the restaurant to thank staff for how they handled the situation. “They’d say, ‘We saw the video and we want to support you,’” he recalled. “It was crazy.”

Now, Marchese said, the firing has left him uncertain about what comes next. He said coworkers reached out asking when he would return, only for him to tell them he had been let go.