A woman who visited an apple orchard in Syracuse, New York, is calling out a worker for how he approached her and her companion after apple-picking hours ended. The woman claimed they were enjoying their visit and taking pictures when the worker interrupted them and told them it was time to leave, an interaction she considered unnecessarily rude.
The video of the incident was later shared on TikTok and has drawn mixed reactions. Some viewers criticized the worker for being impolite, while some went further and alleged that his behavior was racially motivated. However, several defended him, arguing that he was simply enforcing the farm’s closing time.
The incident happened at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, near Syracuse, around 5:15 p.m., shortly after apple-picking hours had ended. The woman said she knew the property closed at 7 p.m. but was unaware that visitors were expected to stop picking apples at 5 p.m. She claimed nobody had informed them when they came in, so they had no reason to believe they were doing anything wrong.
However, she said the worker approached her and her companion while they were filming and started rudely demanding that they leave instead of politely explaining that their time at the orchard was up.
In the TikTok video she shared, the man walked into the camera’s view, swinging and clapping his hands as he announced that the orchard was closed. “We are closed, we are done,” he said, pointing out that it was already 15 minutes past closing time.
The woman, irritated by the man’s interruption, replied that she had not known apple picking ended at 5 p.m. She then asked him to move out of the camera’s view so she could finish recording her companion. The worker stepped aside but remained nearby, seemingly waiting for them to finish.
While the video did not show what happened afterward, the woman claimed the worker had not approached other visitors who were also taking pictures in the same manner. The footage does not show those alleged interactions, so her claim could not be independently confirmed. She said that despite the man trying to rush them, they still had to wait another five minutes for a tractor to pick them up.
Viewers Criticize Orchard Worker’s Attitude
As of now, the video has attracted more than 700,000 views. In the comments under the post, many agreed that the worker could have handled the situation more politely. “Is it so hard to be polite? Im so tired of dealing with that rude energy,” one comment read. Another person wrote, “Why was he so aggressive? Just angry.”
“‘Hey ladies, it’s been wonderful having you at the farm. We’re closing up now, would you mind making your way to the exit.’ Why is that hard!?” a third questioned. “Regardless of being closed, it’s how you say it. We must stop going to places our money isn’t welcome,” a fourth added.
Some viewers claimed that the worker’s behavior may have been racially motivated. “That was racially motivated,” one commenter alleged.
Others, however, saw the video differently. “Looked like he was smiling and perfectly polite. I doubt he had assumed he was ruining your video. Your response however was rude. Hours are listed online,” a viewer argued. Another defended the worker, telling the woman, “Stop w the video and respect their hours.”
Woman Responds to Racism Claims
Although the woman did not directly accuse the worker of racism in the footage, she appeared receptive to viewers who raised the possibility. She liked comments alleging that the encounter was racially motivated and used an audio clip referencing the experience of Black people having White strangers interfere in their business.
The short encounter ultimately left viewers seeing two very different versions of the same moment. Some saw an unnecessarily aggressive employee interrupting customers who didn’t realize apple-picking hours had ended, while others saw a worker doing little more than telling visitors they were already 15 minutes past closing. The footage doesn’t establish why he approached the women the way he did.
