<\/p>\n
The offender shouts \u201cf*** head\u201d at the top of his lungs before casually walking out the door.<\/p>\n
Speaking exclusively to news.com.au, Tinee says the frightening incident took place the morning after a huge anti-immigration rally in the CBD where workers were already on edge.<\/p>\n
The injured worker, who did not wish to use his full name, told news.com.au he tried to de-escalate the situation when the man first walked in.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in really intoxicated and just started yelling,\u201d the worker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of swear words. He asked me for a phone and I politely declined, I couldn\u2019t just give my phone to a stranger. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe got more mad. In order to protect the other customers inside, I approached him and said, \u2018You have to calm down, sir, I will try to help you as much as I can\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that he wanted to cooperate. He just barged in, straight to the bar, took a couple of bottles of whisky. Again I tried to tell him to calm down, looking him in the eyes. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that kind of offended him. He took one of the thick water bottles and threw it straight at my head. I tried to dodge it but I was too slow. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt first it was just total pain, I didn\u2019t expect it to be serious. I started touching my head. Blood was everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The worker, who has since left the venue, says he had \u201cquite a big cut on the right side of my head, above my ear\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pictures shared with news.com.au show a deep gash requiring several stitches. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe ambulance came pretty quick, patched me up and sent me to the nearest hospital in Carlton. It was quite terrifying, but I think it\u2019s one of the risks of working in hospitality. <\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully Melbourne will be much safer in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just how safe \u2014 or unsafe \u2014 Melbourne has become for hospitality workers has been front of mind for Suntivatana, who posted a heartbreaking video to social media earlier this week that went viral<\/a>. <\/p>\n The owner of Carlton brunch icon Humble Rays, Japanese matcha hotspot Tori\u2019s Cafe and Carlton restaurant and co-working space Midday chose Melbourne when she moved to Australia as a student more than 20 years ago.<\/p>\n She says the city she used to know has changed dramatically, particularly after the pandemic, as is now a frightening place to do business.<\/p>\n In the last three years, her venues have been attacked seven separate times, including once where a man kicked the door in only to return the following day asking for free coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cMelbourne, are we really going to live like this?,\u201d she asked on Instagram this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just a small-business owner trying to make an honest living,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cLike so many others, we work hard, create jobs, support our community, pay our bills, and keep going even when the cost of running a business keeps getting higher.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had windows smashed, doors forced open, things stolen. We\u2019ve had calls in the middle of the night telling us that another one of our shops has been broken into.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd every time it happens, we pick ourselves up, repair the damage, improve security, add more cameras, spend more money and hope it doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how many times are small business owners expected to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n She acknowledged that police are working hard and that there is no simple fix to crime \u2014 it is a \u201ccomplicated issue\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut surely the answer cannot simply be that business owners have to accept this as part of living and doing business in Melbourne.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople sometimes say, \u2018You should have better security,\u2019 or \u2018You should have done more to protect your shop.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut why should the responsibility always fall on the victim?<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should hardworking people have to go to bed wondering if the next phone call at 3am will be someone telling them their shop has been broken into again?<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to feel safe. We are asking for accountability. We are asking for something to change.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall businesses already carry so much \u2014 rising costs, rent, wages, bills and the responsibility of keeping people employed. We shouldn\u2019t also have to live with the constant fear that someone can simply smash their way into everything we have worked so hard to build.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Melbourne. I\u2019ve built my life and my businesses here, and I still believe in this city. But something needs to change. Because accepting this as \u2018normal\u2019 should never be the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Just last week in Melbourne, a Brunswick East chef had to fight off a machete-wielding man<\/a> using a chair in an attack caught on camera. <\/p>\n Hari Soni was at the Mix Spice Restaurant on Lygon St about 8pm on Tuesday when a man tried to steal his locked hatchback.<\/p>\n The would-be thief tried to get inside the car, which was parked behind the restaurant, when he was confronted by Mr Soni, who was holding a chair.<\/p>\n \u201cHe tried to attack me. I was confronting with the chair,\u201d Mr Soni said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe tried to attack me several times, he did several attempts. He took out the big machetes and he was trying to stab me.<\/p>\n \u201cI was scared. I had a thought of my family, because if something happens to me, who going to look after them?\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Soni said the incident left him \u201ctraumatised\u201d.\u201cI was very stressed last night, I couldn\u2019t sleep,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ms Suntivatana feels the same way. Online, she wrote: \u201cHonestly, the money isn\u2019t the hardest part. I go to bed at 1am and wake up at 5am. The stress builds a little more every day. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can fix a broken door. We can replace a smashed window. But the stress and fear stay with you long after everything else has been repaired.\u201d<\/p>\n Read related topics:Immigration<\/a>Melbourne<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The city is just waking up outside Regale \u2014 one of Melbourne\u2019s newest and most inspired venues. 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