Has TGI Friday's Ruined Drones for Restaurants Everywhere? In a mistletoe drone incident gone awry, TGI Friday's made a bloody mess in Brooklyn, N.Y.
By Kate Taylor
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We should have known that the mixture of mistletoe, drones and $10 endless appetizers would only lead to bloodshed.
A TGI Friday's mistletoe drone wreaked havoc at a Brooklyn, N.Y., restaurant last Thursday when the drone accidently slammed into a photographer's face.
The incident began when a drone operator attempted to land the drone on a reporter's hand, according to the Brooklyn Daily. The reporter flinched, sending the drone careening into the face of Georgine Benvenuto, a photographer who was there to take photos for the Brooklyn Daily. The mistletoe then apparently became caught in Benvenuto's hair, causing further damage to her nose and chin as the drone's blades continued to spin.
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"I have covered active crime scenes, terrorist strikes, etc. and survived them all, unscathed," Benvenuto, who walked away with a bloodied nose and chin, wrote on her Facebook page. "The most dangerous assignment to date was covering this drone story."
"This was an isolated event during a demonstration for the reporter and photographer only, given by the licensed operator of the drone during the last day of this particular promotion," TGI Friday's said in a statement to Entrepreneur. "Of course, safety is our first priority and we are sorry that this isolated incident occurred."
The restaurant industry's drone drama is likely only beginning. Companies from grilled cheese maker Jafflechutes to Lakemaid brewery have experimented with drones, primarily for deliveries. Now that mistletoe drones have revealed a new festive and destructive way for restaurants to use the flying contraptions, who knows what else foodie drones are capable of?
Related: TGI Fridays Is Putting 'Mistletoe Drones' in Restaurants
