Connecticut Man Arrested For Petulant Drive-Thru Tantrum

Fairfield, CT – Last Tuesday, around 9:47pm, police received a call regarding an enraged customer at a Fairfield McDonald’s.

That evening, 56-year-old Geoffrey Weglarz ordered his meal in the drive-thru, paid, collected his food, and left. Evidently, he was dissatisfied as he returned a short time later and began banging on the locked front entrance. Doors are typically locked during later operating hours for the safety of the employees, and it is policy to only deal with customers through the drive-thru.

After not being permitted in, Weglarz went back to the drive-thru where he launched into a verbal tirade with the manager, yelling obscenities at her. At one point, the manager addressed the customer, telling him not to shout and swear at her because she was pregnant. Thereafter, Weglarz collected his bag of food and threw it at her, hitting the manager in the chest, according to CBS News.

Weglarz continued to bang and yell through the drive-thru window until he overheard the manager address another employee, telling them to phone the police. Weglarz fled. Employees managed to record his vehicle plate beforehand.

Police arrived at Weglarz’s home, where he answered the door armed with a loaded Glock pistol in his waistband. He did have a valid state pistol permit. Officers were concerned he may have had the firearm on him at the time of his drive-thru confrontation with the McDonald’s employees. Police seized guns and ammunition from his home.

Weglarz was charged with breach of peace and released. He is due in court April 9.

A breach of the peace is a common offense, defined as a form of disorderly conduct. Examples include using abusive or obscene language in a public place, resisting a lawful arrest, and trespassing or damaging property when accompanied by violence. The usual penalty imposed is either a small fine, brief imprisonment, or both.

This is not the first time a customer has had a meltdown over a food order in McDonald’s. Back in late November, one Pennsylvania man, 35-year-old Sean Varone, verbally degraded drive-thru workers over a piece of cheese. After getting his order wrong, Varone stormed inside a McDonald’s and demanded a refund.

After receiving his money, Varone knocked over a trashcan and hoisted and launched an empty child’s highchair into a table in the crowded fast-food restaurant. When a manager followed him out and began writing down his license plate, Varone grabbed the employee and put her into a headlock. He smashed the phone she was carrying onto the pavement. A scuffle ensued between Varone and other employees where he sprained his knee and suffered a fractured tibia. He was later cited with criminal mischief and additional misdemeanor charges.

Do you think people escalate to rage more so than they should over inaccurate food orders?

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