They Should In-Corporate The Number

I am working the front at a chain pizza restaurant answering phones. I answer a call, but I can’t hear anything from the other end, so I hang up. Over the next fifteen minutes, the same number calls over and over again, never saying anything. I’ve been answering other calls, so I know the problem isn’t on our end; I just figure they are having issues.

After about twenty calls, my manager, thinking it might be a prank caller, calls the number back.

Caller: “I was going to place an order, but since I couldn’t get through, I decided to order from another store.”

Nearly ten minutes later, he calls us once again. This time, I can hear him perfectly and he wants to place an order. I put him on hold.

Me: *To the manager* “Do you want me to take the order?”

She gets on the phone.

Manager: *Politely* “We will not be taking your order because it seems too suspicious. Please have a good night.” *Hangs up*

For the next forty-five minutes, the customer and his friends blow up our phones with call after call. They demand the number for our corporate office and all our names, and they threaten to come and find us. We’re not allowed to give out corporate’s number; instead, we can only give them the number to our automated service. We start auto-rejecting the calls and they eventually stop calling.

Around five minutes after the calls stop, four men come barging in through our front door. Each of these men is nearly six feet tall and built like linebackers. The only people they spoke to on the phone were my manager and me. Both of us are females in our early twenties and I overshadow my 5’3” manager by a whole two inches.

They march up to the counter and begin banging their fists.

Customers: “Corporate’s number. Now!”

My manager locks the side door so they can’t get back into the kitchen and counter.

Manager: “I’m calling the police.”

Customers: *Crossing arms* “Do it.”

So she does.

Manager: “There are four men in my lobby punching the counter, yelling at my employee, and threatening us.”

Customers: “Yeah, tell them we have guns, too.”

Of course, my manager told the police exactly what he said, and four cruisers pulled up within three minutes. 

The men were escorted outside to be questioned and one officer stayed inside to question us. While I was talking to the officer, a woman walked into the store and he stepped to the side so I could help her. She slammed her fist on the counter and demanded corporate’s number. I sighed and told the cop that she was with the men outside. She was removed, as well.

Since they were the ones who said they had guns, their licenses were run; one of them had a warrant out and was arrested on the spot. The other four were asked to leave and not come back.

For a while, they tried to get people to boycott our store — they claimed racism because of the man who was arrested — and even went as far as to get on a radio show. Nothing came of this because they couldn’t get anyone on their side.

My manager and I did not get into any trouble. Of course, our corporate office wouldn’t let us discuss our side with anyone and their number was placed all over the store to give out when necessary.