Burger King employees at the 5th Street BK on South Beach situated at the end of MacArthur Causeway are courteous and helpful, the company has made positive changes, but you can mark managment absent since Dion was terminated.
The joint is still plagued by sometimes dangerous individuals going to and from the Mainland, and a few agressive panhandlers who live on the beach. The last panhandler I observed there, ignored by employees and the manager, actually threatened some tourists from Australia, and the police were called.
For instance, at 11:30 this morning I ordered lunch from a new gal, Allison, who serves customers so well and is so chipper that I wonder what she is doing there.
As I was waiting for my order, a man asked her for a cup so he could "get some water." She cheerfully complied, and he asked for another cup for his "brother." She complied. As I waited I noticed he was filling the cups not with water but with grape Gatorade. Nothing new there. Since the new machines were put in near the door where they cannot be observed from the counter, many people come in with their own containers and fill them with Coke, et cetera, and leave unnoticed. Management knows about that but could care less.
The man saw me watching him, moved toward me, and said, "I'm going to shoot someone."
"Why would you do that?"
"I was robbed of one-hundred dollars on the beach last night."
"That's too bad. Do you have a gun on you?"
"No, I would not bring a gun to the beach."
"I don't blame you," I said and moved away. He followed me.
"I would use a knife," he said, glaring at me.
"Do you have a knife?"
"Why are you asking me? Are you a cop?" he shouted, and moved toward me agressively.
"Stand back. If you want a cop, it will take about three minutes for one to get here."
He went to the table and sat down with the brother. I proceeded to eat and picked up my cell to check my email. "He's calling the cops," the brother said.The man hightailed it out the door and east on 5th Street. He was soon followed by the brother. Since he fled, I supposed I should notify the police, but my call got lost at the switchboard, so I dropped the subject.
As I was finishing my meal, three young men walked by my table, and one of them carrying a skateboard began yelling at the top of his lungs, while pointing at me:
"YOU ARE A RACIST! YOU ARE A RACIST! YOU ARE A RACIST!"
"What? Well, if I am a racist I guess it takes one to know one."
"YOU ARE A RACIST! YOU CALLED THE COPS ON THAT GUY!"
"Well, I believe you must be the racist. What does carrying guns and knives have to do with race?"
Allison at that point said nothing to the three men disturbing the peace, and ordered me to shut up.
At that several workman sitting at the table next to me nodded in agreement with me, as they had observed the threatening behavior of the man who had fled including his references to shooting and stabbing.
Gee, it must be the Zimmerman trial. Whatever. But there are regularly so-called social issues at that BK, which seems to be vying for the Worst Miami Beach Burger King Prize. The only thing I will miss is the Seattle's Best Arabic coffee.
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