"Don't Sit Down," Chicken Shop Owner Berates Delivery Rider: "I'm the One Who Pays You"

[Financial News] A delivery rider in his 20s claimed that a chicken shop owner harshly confronted him after he briefly sat on a chair at the restaurant while waiting for a delivery order.
On the 22nd, JTBC's "Sageonbanjang" reported the story of A, a man in his 20s who was just starting out in life and had begun working as a delivery rider about three years ago.
A said that instead of attending college, he had worked 12 hours a day making deliveries and saved money for about three years. He plans to pursue a career in motorcycle maintenance or real estate brokerage in the future.
The incident occurred at around 8 p.m. on the 17th. A went to a franchise chicken restaurant in Busan to pick up a delivery order. The dining area was empty and its lights were off, while only the kitchen lights were on. His phone showed an estimated cooking wait time of about six minutes. Because his legs hurt, A took a chair from an empty table and sat down briefly.
A said the owner came out of the kitchen and objected just one or two seconds after he sat down. According to A, the owner angrily spoke to him in an informal and disrespectful manner, saying, "Stand up. Don't sit down. Why are you sitting in someone else's chair?"
A acknowledged that he was wrong to sit down without asking permission but said the owner's response was excessive. He recalled, "I was wrong to sit down without asking, but normally, if I ask, 'Would it be okay if I sat down for a bit?' everyone naturally says, 'Have a seat.' That day, no one was in the dining area, so I just sat down. But he spoke rudely and roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me up, which made me feel terrible."
The dispute eventually led to a police report. A called 112, saying he would report the owner for assault, and police later arrived at the scene. According to A, the owner said during the incident, "I won't give you the delivery, so get out. What delivery service are you with? I'll call them. Who do you guys think you are? Who pays you? We do."
A said he wondered whether he should have to endure such remarks when he could become a customer of the restaurant himself in the future. He stated, "Couldn't I come back later to buy chicken? I could become a customer later, too. It even made me wonder whether he could really speak to me that way."
The owner later conveyed his position through another delivery rider. He said, "Some delivery riders sat down, blocked the passage, or failed to put the chairs back when they left, so I recently prohibited the use of chairs. I also told the delivery rider not to sit on the chair that day, but when he asked, 'Why should I?' I got angry."
However, the owner admitted that his remark about being the person who pays the delivery riders was wrong. He said, "I said that because I was too worked up. I was wrong."


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter