This is the shocking moment a customer threw hot coffee at a Thai waitress and part-time DJ in a restaurant in New York.

The alleged attacker entered the upmarket Thai restaurant Bangkok Degree in Brooklyn alone at around 5:15 pm on April 29.

However, when Thai employee Maliwan Kaewcharoen handed her a menu, she allegedly went on a rampage and began shouting at the confused waitress.

CCTV footage shows the irate customer yelling at restaurant staff at the counter before hurling a cup of hot coffee at Maliwan's face. She was seen storming out of the building as other employees treated Maliwan, who was shaken and in tears.

Maliwan said the incident happened during the restaurant's evening shift from 5 to 10 pm. She also suffered a bruised nose and cuts on her face from the impact of the cup striking her.

She said: 'The customer entered alone, and despite my colleagues and I greeting her with 'hello, welcome, come in' and some other phrases, she did not respond.

'Normally, customers will say if they were dining in or ordering to go. I approached her with a menu and asked if she was dining in or ordering takeout, but she did not answer me.

'Then, I asked if she had made a reservation and if there were other people with her, but she still ignored me. I asked her to respond so I could determine how many menus to provide.

'The restaurant has a sign that says 'Please wait to be seated,' which is customary in this country. Despite my repeated inquiries, the customer appeared impatient and eventually shouted 'just me'.

'I didn't know why she was so angry because I was only doing my job.'

Maliwan said she then placed a menu on the woman's table but was accused of throwing the item at the customer.

The customer accused her of being rude, to which she responded: 'I tried to talk to you, and it was my duty to ask. You didn't respond and seemed to be treating me in a racist manner. You were the one who was initially rude to me.'

The attack reportedly left Maliwan with a bruised nose and cuts on her face from the cup and pain inside her nostrils.

She said the incident cost her time and money as she had to go to the hospital and the police station to ask for help. However, authorities were yet to identify the woman.

Maliwan added: 'This is a warning to people to be careful when working abroad. I admit that what I experienced scared me.

'I am still worried that the woman might return and attack me again. She did so even though there were many people in the store. I hope no one else goes through the same thing I did.'

Police in Brooklyn filed the alleged assauly but are yet to make an arrest.