Video: US Tech Company Strava Fires Employee For Assaulting Restaurant Staff In San Francisco

Fitness tech company Strava terminated the employment of Shireen Afkari, a senior growth marketing and retention manager, after a viral video showed her assaulting restaurant staff in San Francisco. The altercation occurred on Saturday night, December 13, at Hazie's, an upscale restaurant in San Francisco's Hayes Valley. Footage showed Afkari yelling slurs at employees, lunging at individuals filming the event, and physically attacking staff, including pulling a bartender's hair.

I think this says a lot more about him than it does her https://t.co/K67ll1mNOc

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) December 15, 2025

What exactly happened?

The staff at Hazie's restaurant reportedly refused to continue serving alcohol to Afkari and her companion due to their high level of intoxication and abrasive behaviour. Bartender Miguel Marchese told KRON4 that the pair arrived around 9 pm, and the staff quickly became concerned about the couple's behaviour.

"The night was quite chaotic, the couple came in, they were requesting dinner service. Initially, the server verbalised to me that she could tell that her table was not only intoxicated, but perhaps on some other substances and they were giving her quite a rough time and being quite verbally abrasive with her, and then I do believe after that [the server] asked for the manager to intervene," Marchese said.

The manager then removed cocktails from the couple's table and asked them to leave. A viral video showed Afkari at the bar, yelling and slurring at employees, who pleaded with her to leave. She taunted staff, used abusive language, and lunged at the camera. 

The video also captured Afkari allegedly attacking a staff member, prompting shocked reactions from diners. Employees kicked her out, but she flailed and crashed into another woman near the dining area. Once outside, Afkari kicked and grabbed Marchese's hair. She only released her grip after he took her phone away. She was later tripped, fell, and got up shouting at her partner.

Afkari was later arrested by the San Francisco Police Department on charges of public intoxication. No assault charges were filed as the victims declined to press them.

Company's Response

Strava confirmed the firing on December 15, after identifying Afkari through social media. 

In a statement shared on Instagram, the company stated, "We are aware of an employee who exhibited extremely concerning off-hours behavior. We don't condone violence of any kind and this does not reflect the standards we expect of our team. This past Monday, we made the decision to end the individual's employment."