POLICE are probing an “assault” understood to have happened in the queue for Scotland's first Popeyes restaurant.
The US food chain made headlines since launching its first Scottish location on Monday September 18, as fans waited outside the Barrhead Retail Park site for more than 18 hours ahead of opening.
While wait times have been shorter since then, people have continued to join lengthy queues to get their hands on the chain's famous chicken sandwiches.
On Tuesday, police were forced to issue a statement due to the high levels of “congestion caused by the new Popeyes chicken restaurant in Barrhead”.
And on Sunday, police issued another statement after a video on social media appeared to show a staffer being punched in the face by a member of the public as cars queued for the restaurant.
A clip of the incident was shared on the social media site Reddit by user u/Jam_One. They alleged: “The guy in the hi-vis is actually a Popeyes employee, tasked with managing the drive-through queue, because the traffic was a bit mental.
“Guy in the BMW was trying to cut in and wasn't happy about being told to join the back of the line.
“The queue was pretty long, but Popeyes were on it serving everyone quickly. We waited about 20 mins before we had our order, certainly no need to be assaulting employees doing their job.”
They added: “The employee phoned the polis and three units arrived so I'm sure the guy will be getting his door chapped.”
Officers have confirmed that the incident is being probed, though there were no reported injuries.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.15pm on Saturday, September 23, 2023, we were called to a report of a man being assaulted at Barrhead Retail Park, Glasgow Road, Barrhead.
"There are no reported injuries. Enquiries are ongoing."
