Wendy’s manager pours hot oil on customer who complained about cold food, TN cops say
The manager of a Tennessee Wendy’s accused of throwing hot grease on a customer during a dispute over cold food is now facing criminal charges.
The customer was “burnt up pretty bad” after Demarrus Pritchett, 23, allegedly attacked him with a pan of hot oil at the fast food restaurant in Huntingdon last week, according to police. Pritchett was arrested Oct. 6 on an aggravated assault charge.
“We would not want to hear of this happening anywhere and certainly regret that it did so in our community,” Huntingdon Public Safety Director Walter Smothers said in a statement.
The incident unfolded after the customer ordered at the drive-thru but pulled back around to complain that his food was cold, according to a police report obtained by McClatchy News.
A argument ensued and that’s when police said Pritchett, who was working as a shift manager, retrieved a pan of hot oil and doused the man with it. Part of the attack was captured on store surveillance, police said, and shows Pritchett going into the kitchen before returning to the drive-thru window with the pan.
The victim was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital with severe burns to his arm and left side, according to the report.
Following his arrest, police said Pritchett acknowledged throwing the hot oil and said the customer had been “harassing him for several weeks about dogs.”
McClatchy News reached out to Wendy’s on Tuesday and is awaiting a response.
Smothers called the incident “unthinkable” and asked that the State Attorney General’s Office “prosecute it to the highest level possible.”
Huntingdon is about 116 miles west of Nashville.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Wendy’s manager pours hot oil on customer who complained about cold food, TN cops say."