Café owner shares update on waitress who had a plate smashed into her face in 'sickening' random attack caught on CCTV

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER and ASHLEY KNICKEL Published: 03:43, 29 April 2026 | Updated: 03:44, 29 April 2026 The owner of a café where a waitress had a plate smashed into her face has spoken out about the 'sickening' attack as police reveal they are now investigating. Customers and staff at La Vallee in Essendon, north Melbourne, were horrified when the incident occurred just after lunchtime on Anzac Day. CCTV footage, shared to the venue's social media, showed the waitress walking around a corner while holding plates when a stranger, who was walking the other way, almost bumped into her. The unknown woman then smacked the plate up into the waitress' face before slapping the rest of the dishes onto the ground. The woman then walked off as if nothing had happened, leaving the waitress terrified and with a chipped tooth. 'It was pretty sickening,' co-owner Josh Rabie told the Daily Mail on Wednesday. 'When the waitress came in, I thought it might have just been a collision but then I checked the CCTV footage. 'It's something you wouldn't expect, and something you wouldn't want to happen – there was no reason.' A pedestrian (pictured) was caught on CCTV shoving a plate into the face of a waitress at a north Melbourne café on Anzac Day The café worker suffered a chipped tooth Co-owner of the café, Josh Rabie, said the incident was 'pretty sickening' Victoria Police confirmed the assault had been reported and an investigation is underway.  Mr Rabie said the waitress had returned to work and had her tooth fixed by a local business, although she may need further treatment. 'We're doing well considering everything,' he said. 'It is the first time ever this has happened, the first time for me in this industry, eight years. It was pretty crazy.' Mr Rabie said that he has heard about incidents of aggression towards hospitality workers, but never at this level.  'You see it every now and then on social media, we hear of it quite often, but I don't think I have heard anything this extreme,' he said. 'We can deal with someone complaining about the food, but this was something else.' A few customers had been sitting outside near the incident and were clearly shaken by what happened, Mr Rabie added. Mr Rabie said his café had never experienced an incident like it He said police have been told about the incident and they are investigating 'A woman (was) in a bit of distress after she helped clean up the mess,' he said. Mr Rabie said staff brought the waitress into the café where she was able to calm down. The shocking footage went viral, with countless Aussies condemning the stranger's actions. 'Hope your staff member is okay and hope the woman is caught,' one wrote. Billionaire and Melbourne local Adrian Portelli weighed in on the clip, writing: 'This behaviour needs to be stamped out. It doesn't belong here.' Several local businesses also offered a hand in helping La Vallee recover from the shocking attack. 'This is disgusting behaviour. I am the owner of Healthy Smiles on Keilor Road, Niddrie, and I am more than happy to fix your staff member's front tooth free of charge,' one wrote. 'This is a coward's act, and your lovely waitress shouldn't have to go through this.' Sear Steakhouse commented: 'When Healthy Smiles gets her teeth sorted, bring her down the road for some steaks with her family on us. Keilor Road will stand together.' The number of locals and businesses rallying around the cafe has been significant for the staff, Mr Rabie said.  'I just want to thank everyone. Everyone has been super supportive, we are so thankful and grateful,' he said. Police said the woman was wearing a black long-sleeve top, light blue jeans, sunglasses and a distinctive silver necklace with a charm when the incident occurred. She was also carrying plastic bottles of iced-coffee and a black jacket. Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.