Texas Whataburger employees serve unruly, drunken customer a wicked whack-a-burger
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Anthony William Newhuis, 41, was arrested on charges of assault and criminal mischief.
PHOTOS: PARIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, BILLY JONES/X
A customer marched drunk as a skunk into a Texas Whataburger restaurant, turned belligerent, and began attacking its staff – prompting the outlet’s manager to, well, take out the trash.
Police in Paris, about 160km north-east of Dallas, said 41-year-old Anthony William Newhuis was first ordered out of the fast-food joint after he berated workers and caused a disturbance on Feb 22.
According to witnesses, he stormed off but vowed to come back once officers left.
He did, and that was when things turned violent.
Security video and cellphone footage show Newhuis bursting back into the restaurant and lunging toward the manager behind the counter. Workers can be heard yelling and scrambling as the confrontation spills into the dining area.
The manager, cornered and under attack, grabs the nearest object – a lightweight plastic rubbish bin – and swings. The container slams into Newhuis’s head with a loud crack, knocking him off balance.
Mr Billy Jones, a customer who filmed the fight, said another employee then struck Newhuis with a wire fry basket, dropping him to the floor.
By the time Paris police arrived, Newhuis had staggered outside into the back parking lot, bleeding from the head. Officers arrested him on charges of assault causing bodily injury, public intoxication and criminal mischief.
The authorities said Newhuis’ rampage did not end there: While in custody, he allegedly flooded a jail cell, earning an additional criminal mischief charge under US$750 (S$950).
No employees were seriously hurt.
In a statement, Whataburger said the safety of customers and workers is its top priority and that the company is cooperating fully with investigators.
The episode echoes a string of recent confrontations between restaurant staff and aggressive patrons across the United States.
In one widely circulated case in December 2025, a fight broke out at a Chipotle in Connecticut after a customer allegedly threw an object at a worker and then climbed behind the counter, sparking a chaotic melee.
