Bartender Says He’s Been Fired After Tripping Customer in Viral Altercation at Celebrity Chef-Owned Restaurant

A San Francisco bartender says he was fired just weeks after a violent confrontation outside a celebrity chef-owned restaurant went viral.

Miguel Marchese, 25, told the SF Gazetteer that Hazie’s terminated his employment by email over the weekend, with the dismissal taking effect the next day. Marchese had worked at the Hayes Valley restaurant since 2023. Hazie’s, led by chef Joey Altman, drew intense online backlash last month after videos showed customers attacking staff during an incident on Dec. 13.

Footage from that night shows Marchese trying to remove the customers as they shouted at him and other employees. With help from coworkers and bystanders, he escorted the couple outside while tensions continued to rise.

Marchese previously told SFGATE that the situation began after the intoxicated pair was refused service. He said the woman then entered areas of the restaurant that were off-limits to guests, escalating the conflict.

Videos shared on social media show the woman filming staff while accusing them of harassment. In another clip, she appears to strike an employee as the situation spirals.

Once outside, the confrontation continued on the sidewalk. The woman grabbed Marchese by the hair and refused to let go, even as bystanders repeatedly told 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 eventually broke free after tossing the woman’s phone away. As she ran after it, video appears to show her tripping over his leg and falling to the sidewalk — a moment Marchese said later became a key factor in management’s decision to fire him.

According to the SF Gazetteer, Marchese was later told his actions created an insurance risk in case the customer tried to sue. He said the customer never contacted the restaurant and did not pursue legal action.

The firing also followed a social media post in which Marchese criticized management’s communication with staff after the incident, according to documents reviewed by the outlet. His termination came roughly three weeks after the videos first spread widely online.

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 publicly about his employment or pursue legal claims. He declined.

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

In the weeks after the video went viral, Hazie’s received a wave of public support. Marchese said customers came in specifically to back the staff. “They’d say, ‘We saw the video and we want to support you,’” he recalled. “It was crazy.”

Now, Marchese said, he’s unsure what comes next. He said coworkers messaged him asking when he would be back — and he had to tell them he’d been let go.