Mount Gambier gran Katherine Pickles copped a spray from a Domino's owner after complaining about her pizza. Now locals have accused her of being a 'Fast-Food Karen' - as she slams local gossips

EXCLUSIVE

It was the fast-food fracas that made national news: an outraged gran who copped a tirade of abuse after she dared to complain about a misshapen, capsicum-covered pizza.

Katherine Pickles appeared ashen-faced on TV three weeks ago as she described her clash with broom-wielding Domino's franchisee Akhil Antony, who was caught on camera yelling that he would 'smash' her face in if she did not leave his store.

No one disputes that Mr Antony's language was, at best, inappropriate – least of all him. The sheepish manager previously told Daily Mail Australia he was 'deeply apologetic and embarrassed'.

But Ms Pickles' hometown of Mt Gambier - just 17km from the Victorian border in the bottom right-hand corner of South Australia - has been abuzz ever since.

Local whispers insist Ms Pickles' confronting video clip only told half the tale – and her appearance on national television perhaps painted her in a flattering light.

They have labelled Ms Pickles a 'Karen' for making the complaint - while equal numbers are sticking up for her right to object as a paying customer.

Claims and counter-claims have been hurled across local social media and chat groups as the row erupted like the now-dormant volcano which gave the city of 33,000 its name.

Now a relative of a Domino's employee, who asked to remain anonymous, alleges Ms Pickles abused young female staff members after her three pizzas arrived that fateful Friday night.

Ms Pickles is alleged to have used crude language during the exchange before the young worker handed the phone to her boss, and the insults continued to fly.

The source said Ms Pickles wanted a full refund for her entire order: a package deal of two deep-pan crust pizzas, one thin and crispy, and three sides for about $48.

'But the manager said, "I'm not going to give you everything back. I can swap the offending pizza but I'm not refunding the whole order,"' the source added.

Ms Pickles is alleged to have reacted furiously to the snub and hung up on the owner.

The source said the manager was 'really protective' of the young girls who work in his store.

'He's a good manager but he does have a hot head,' they said.

'He shouldn't have said what he said to this lady. But there's a whole backstory to it.'

The source also alleged Ms Pickles is something of a serial complainant and is renowned among fast-food restaurant staff in the area.

Ms Pickles, who said she was a regular Domino's customer until the bitter bust-up, branded the new accusations 'absolute lies'.

'It's bordering on slanderous,' the grandmother told Daily Mail Australia.

'I've never done anything like this in my life. Why would I say that to anyone? No, I just wanted my pizza.

'But he ended up being so rude that I didn't trust that he wouldn't spit in it. He was that disgusting on the phone.'

The key dispute centred on Ms Pickles' own pizza of choice, The Lot, which is billed by Domino's as their 'most topped pizza yet!'

'Ground beef, crispy rasher bacon, capsicum, pepperoni, Italian sausage, seasoned chicken, smoked leg ham, pineapple, onions, olives, topped with oregano and chilli flakes, then drizzled with garlic butter,' the pizza chain boasts.

Crucially, however, Ms Pickles requested a thin and crispy base – and no capsicum.

'When I opened it to start, straight away I could see it just wasn't right,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was oddly shaped and then I saw there was capsicum all over it and I can't eat capsicum. It makes me sick.'

It was the pizza's geometry – or lack of it – that made Ms Pickles realise she had to escalate the problem.

'The reason I took a picture and finally decided to ring up was because this has happened to me before,' she explained.

'You just don't do anything, you just let it go and or if you want to complain, it goes to head office and nothing gets done about it. 

'So this time I just thought, "I gotta take a picture of this. This is absolutely absurd".

'When you look at the picture, it looks like maybe three different pieces put together to tell the truth. But two pieces were too big for the actual pizza itself. They did not fit the circumference of the rest of the pizza.'

She added: 'I think he actually got a couple of pizzas that were mistaken that night and thought he could get away with it.'

After her initial complaint on the Friday evening, Ms Pickles claims the manager said he would send someone round to swap the supposedly wonky pizza or offer a refund.

But she claims no one arrived and she was forced to 'go without tea' that evening.

'The next day I was still upset about him saying that I was lying so I thought, "Well, I'll take that pizza down there and I'll get my refund,"' she said

'And what you see in the video is what happened.'

The grandmother said many people had questioned why she started filming, with some accusing her online of knowingly picking a fight.

'Something in my gut gave me an unsettled feeling when I got off my bike,' she said.

'I didn't go down there intentionally to film – something just made me feel unsure.'

Daily Mail Australia understands the store's CCTV footage will form a central part of Domino's head-office investigation into the incident, which was ongoing as of last week.

Insiders believe the store footage before the delivery presents a different pizza to the misshapen one Ms Pickles showed to 7News.

Mr Antony did not want to comment when approached at the pizza store by Daily Mail Australia.

But he has previously apologised for his behaviour, admitting that 'no one deserves to be spoken to' in the way he confronted Ms Pickles.

'I let my emotions get the best of me. But that's no excuse,' Mr Antony said.

He added: 'My behaviour was unacceptable, and I am deeply apologetic and embarrassed.'

After launching an investigation, Domino's head office got in touch with Ms Pickles straight away to apologise.

'They did pay my pizza back and they offered me some Domino's vouchers for compensation but I refused them,' she said.

'I don't want to ever visit that store again, not while he's there.'

It's understood the chain is considering offering her further compensation.

What's undeniable is that the aftermath of the incident has seen mud-slinging on both sides that had driven a rift through the community.

Ms Pickles, for her part, has been sent some 'nasty' messages, she said.

'One guy said to me, "You deserve that pizza in your face. He should have thrown a can of Coke as well,"' she said, shaking her head. 

She added: 'I found it all quite triggering. 

'I've been in domestic violence relationships in the past and to have something like that happen to me – I'm still upset about it.'

Several staff members and former staff members told this publication Domino's employees had been subjected to abuse and threats in the wake of the incident.

The store was forced to close early on several days and the police reportedly had to be contacted after a man came in and abused some young female members of staff.

SA Police said the imbroglio and its aftermath was a civil matter. 

But almost everyone is agreed that the ongoing fallout has been toxic.

'If something happens in this town everyone gets their pitchforks and their flaming torches,' the source said.  

'The store manager threatened a woman, and now all these people are retaliating by going and threatening young women in that store. It doesn't make sense.'

The Domino's store now has a sign in its window that reads: 'It's not okay… for anyone to experience abusive or disrespectful behaviour in our store. Please help us build a community of respect.'