IHOP Waitress Pulls A Knife On A Family Because They Complained About Her Service

They say that there are three sides to every story: your side, their side, and the truth. And in a recent altercation at an IHOP restaurant in Massapequa, New York, unanswered questions indicate that we may want to reserve judgment. 

Waitress Rhonda Kelly was arrested for allegedly "wielding a steak knife" at a family of four that she had just served. Apparently, the husband, wife, and two special needs toddlers were more than Kelly could handle. Unsatisfied with her level of service, the parents complained to the manager. Things must have gotten a bit dicey because the manager told them to leave. Guess the customer isn't always right.

But on their way out, one of Kelly's co-workers made a snide remark about the children which set the father off. He charged back into the restaurant yelling and demanding to know who made the comment. Kelly ended up face-to-face with the man. The situation escalated which got the attention of the staff who surrounded the feuding pair. According to the mother, "all the waitstaff engulfed us." That's when Kelly grabbed a steak knife. One of her co-workers took the knife from Kelly and this time the man left for good.

The father went to the police station and filed a report which led to Kelly's arrest and a second-degree menacing charge. But the statement issued by franchise owner Camile Gnolfo seems to be in support of the staff. "This was a situation that would be difficult for anyone to imagine and we wish the outcome had been different...Multiple employees reacted to what they viewed as an immediate threat to their personal safety," Gnolfo said.

That leaves us all to wonder what the man said to both the manager and the staff. Who was the real threat here? Was Kelly acting in self-defense? What happened that made Kelly feel the need to pull a knife? Was the staff just standing up for her?

Kelly is due back in court before the end of May. Stay tuned. Her arrest might be the headline, but clearly we don't have all the facts here.