Yokine cafe owner details shocking abuse of young staff

Businesses and venues in WA are continuing to face abuse and harassment trying to enforce the WA government’s COVID-19 vaccine status and mask rules.
Mid Century Cafe and Collectables owner Camillo D’Angelo told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings his staff, some as young as 17, were subject to abuse, backlash and non-compliance from customers at his Yokine venue, with some of them attending the cafe just to film confrontations with staff.
“I talk to colleagues in the industry, contract suppliers, and it’s the frontline workers who are bearing the brunt of this,” he told Bartlett.
“We’re at the stage now where the support [from the government] is basically, visit the website or download the app, which poses its own problems, in terms of trying to digest and then apply what the government is mandating in the real world, in real time.
“It doesn’t give staff the skills they need to deal with people – a very vocal minority – that aren’t attending hospitality premises because they want food or coffee, they are baiting staff, they’re filming it, they’re posting stuff on social media that staff see and it’s a real problem.”
Mr D’Angelo revealed that a 17-year-old’s staff member was called a fascist, while others were branded Nazi bootlickers and segregationists over the weekend.
“It’s just ridiculous, it’s pathetic … we are really concerned, first and foremost for their mental health,” he said.
Tap PLAY below to hear more of the problems his staff have faced.