ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A confrontation over ketchup nearly led to a fight between a restaurant worker and a customer, officials said.
Luis Martinez said he stopped by a Subway shop in a Walmart on South Semoran Boulevard late Tuesday night to get something to eat. He said he ordered a Philly cheese steak the way he always does.
"American cheese, onions and ketchup," said Martinez.
Lawrence Ordone was working behind the counter.
"He wants ketchup on the Philly cheese steak and I have never put -- we don't even have ketchup at Subway -- I've never put ketchup on anybody's sandwich," said Ordone.
Martinez said he didn't want the sandwich without the ketchup and that a man next to him in line offered to buy the sandwich.
Ordone said that Martinez mouthed off at the man.
Martinez denied saying anything, but neither he or Ordone disputed what they said happened next.
"That's when I flew off the handle," said Ordone.
"He shoved a chair to the side, like knocked it down to come at me, and I said, 'This is going to be serious,'" said Martinez.
"I said, 'Let's go, fight me like a man,'" said Ordone.
"I was scared. Next thing, I'm thinking a gun's going to come out," said Martinez.
Ordone said he blocked the customer so he couldn't get out.
"He threatened to kill me in front of my wife," said Martinez.
Martinez called 911, but by the time police got there the Subway worker had already left.
Ordone said he was fired from his job Wednesday, and that he is baffled the confrontation started over something as simple as ketchup.
"There's ketchup three aisles down. You can go buy your own ketchup, and I promise to God, you can put as much as you want on it and nobody's going to say nothing," said Ordone.
Ordone was not arrested.
WFTV found out his case might be forwarded to the State Attorney's Office to determine whether or not to prosecute him.
WFTV
