Arby’s employee tosses hot grease on customer waiting at drive-thru, Alabama cops say

A routine trip to Arby’s turned dangerous when a dispute at the drive-thru ended with hot grease being tossed on a customer, according to the Hueytown Police Department in Alabama.

The victim, who was not identified, had to be taken to a hospital, police officials said in a news release. The person’s condition was not released.

It happened about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, April 23, during “an altercation between an employee and a customer,” police said. Hueytown is about 13 miles southwest of Birmingham.

“Upon arrival, officers determined that an employee threw hot grease on a customer in the drive-thru,” police said.

“Hueytown Fire and Rescue responded to provide medical treatment to the victim. The victim was transported to UAB hospital (in Birmingham) for further treatment of their burns.”

The customer, who suffered second-degree “burns on her chest and back,” said her children were in the car at the time, station WBRC reports.

An attorney for the victim said the argument began when the drive-thru intercom stopped working, and she tried placing her order at the pick-up window, the station said.

No other injuries were reported, police said.

One restaurant employee “was taken into custody at the scene.” The name of the employee and details of charges were not released by police.

Investigators have not said what started the dispute or why it escalated to violence.

The Arby’s chain, based in Atlanta, is known for its roast beef sandwiches. There is only one location in Hueytown, at 105 River Square Plaza, the company reports.

Arby’s is “the second-largest sandwich restaurant brand in the world with more than 3,500 restaurants in nine countries,” according to the company’s website.

This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Arby’s employee tosses hot grease on customer waiting at drive-thru, Alabama cops say."