The man who became a sudden internet sensation overnight after CCTV captured him allegedly hurling a chair and knocking out his workmate outside a Melbourne strip club no longer works at the furniture company where he was an executive.
Tony Rogers, 58, and his colleague were in Bar 20 on the night of January 30 when one told a barmaid to “open the f–king beer,” news.com.au previously revealed.
Security was called, and both men were told to leave, but they did not go willingly. Eventually, the pair were thrown out onto the footpath of notorious King St.
But an angry Rogers stormed over to a restaurant next door, grabbed a dining chair and hurled it, likely intended for security, but it hit his mate in the head instead.
Both men worked for Vereinigte Spezialmöbelfabrike (VS), a leading German manufacturer founded almost 130 years ago that focuses on school and office furniture.
In a statement, VS said it was aware of the strip club incident involving two of its employees and said the matter had been taken “extremely seriously”.
It is understood Rogers is no longer employed with the German business following an internal investigation in line with company policy, Herald Sun reported.
“While the incident occurred outside of business hours and was not related to a work event, the conduct shown was unacceptable and contrary to our values and the standards we expect of our people,” a spokesman for the company said.
“Both individuals have expressed genuine regret for the incident and acknowledged a significant error of professional judgment.
“One individual is no longer employed with our organization. VS Australia remains committed to the safety, respect and professionalism of our workplace and to the well-being of our employees and customers.”
Rogers was a sales director for VS and had been in the furniture industry for most of his life prior to the viral strip club moment.
According to his LinkedIn, he was the director and general manager of Woods Furniture for just over 17 years before moving to the German business to be a sales director.
He was in that role for two years before becoming director in August 2025.
Rogers was also once director and vice chair of the Australian Furniture Association.
The footage of the incident was watched by more than 27 million people.
Fine on the way
Police spoke with Rogers on Friday.
In a statement to news.com.au, Victoria Police said its Divisional Licensing Unit is still investigating the January 30 incident.
It has been alleged that the pair left the scene on foot as tensions eased.
“It is expected he will receive an infringement notice at a later date,” a spokeswoman said after being asked if Rogers would cop a fine.
Investigators are yet to make contact with his workmate, and have urged him to come forward to be interviewed.
The investigation remains ongoing.
‘I don’t want to serve this guy’
Speaking to news.com.au days later, Bar 20 co-owner Michael Trimble revealed it took them eight minutes to eject the two men.
It all started just before 9:30 p.m. when Rogers walked into the bar with his workmate, who had recently flown over from Germany, for post-work drinks.
Bar 20 staff said the men were aggressive towards staff from the beginning.
“My bar manager pulled a stubby out of the fridge. She was about to twist the top off when he looked at her and said something inappropriate. I’m not sure what he said, but it made her stop and think, ‘Maybe I don’t actually want to serve this guy,’” Trimble said.
As the barmaid hesitated, the patron snapped.
“He screamed, ‘Just open the f***ing beer’,” Trimble recounted.
Security guards were called to escort the men, but they refused.
But once forced onto the street, the drama escalated. Rogers briefly grabbed a nearby bollard as a weapon before rethinking his strategy.
But the true twist in this viral saga came moments later.
According to Trimble, the man who would eventually become the victim had actually returned to the door to apologise.
“He had actually changed his tune and was apologetic,” Trimble said.
“He was standing there apologising for his mate’s behaviour.”
Rogers grabbed a chair from a Korean restaurant next door and hurled it.
The piece of furniture is seen flying through the air before striking the back of his workmate’s head, knocking him out. One bouncer burst out in laughter.
Trimble said he had seen plenty of patrons “making clowns of themselves” and never expected the incident go as viral as it did.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
