The violence unfolded after a man is said to have ordered from the store on Natural Bridge Avenue near Union Boulevard around 1 a.m. on Tuesday.
The man asked for extra dipping sauce with his order and when he didn’t get what he wanted, he shot into the restaurant, according to other workers and as reported by FOX2.
Two shots were fired, striking one 31-year-old employee in his lower back and arm, police told KMOV. The unidentified suspect then reportedly fled in a dark-colored Nissan.
The argument was said to be over dipping sauce but it remains unclear whether the shots were fired directly at the Wendy’s employee or if he was struck by chance.
The victim was taken to hospital and was conscious and breathing at the time. He is expected to recover.
Photos from the scene overnight showed the storefront shattered by apparent gunfire as police gathered evidence and cordoned off the area.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.
Newsweek has contacted the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
It’s certainly not the first time violence has erupted over a dispute at a fast-food chain.
Earlier this month, a California man died after he was pronounced brain dead following a single punch at a fast food restaurant.
The 43-year-old victim was found unconscious and lying on the ground at a restaurant on the 100 block of Main Street in Watsonville with a severe head injury.
Officers arrived on the scene following a report of a fight at the store on December 2, the Watsonville Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
The unidentified victim was taken to a local trauma center where he remained in ICU for several days before being transferred to Stanford Hospital.
The man was declared brain dead on December 9. Stanford doctors were unable to save him. An autopsy revealed the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head, police said.
Jose Figueroa Gonzalez, 30, has since been charged with manslaughter stemming from the physical altercation with the victim.
A woman was arrested in a seperate incident after she drove at her co-worker following a brawl at an Atlanta branch of McDonald’s, police said.
Zoe Gunn was struck by the vehicle during an altercation at the drive-thru fast food restaurant in the north of the city.
Police said the argument started between Destiny Allen and another unnamed employee. Gunn, also a McDonald’s employee, was said to have stepped in to break up the altercation when she was hit by the car.
Video showed two women wrestling on the floor. Police alleged that Allen then got into her car and reversed into Gunn, knocking her into the window of the restaurant.
Allen was charged with aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.
