The altercation was over a steak shortage at the buffet, a former employee said
Police in Bensalem, Pennsylvania are investigating what sparked a massive brawl last week at a Golden Corral restaurant. The exchange of blows between more than 40 patrons was partly caught on camera.
In the video, which quickly spread across social media, people could be seen throwing everything from punches to chairs.
While police have said they do not know what prompted the fight, one former employee told local media that it was a steak shortage at the buffet.
“From what I heard it was over steak, apparently somebody cut in line,” one former employee told a local CBS affiliate.
Another told the same story, elaborating and revealing one family had “cut” in front of another family in line and taken what little was left of the buffet steak. The disagreement followed the two parties back to their tables, and the incident escalated from there.
The short clip of the fight includes a melee of noises, but one man can be heard saying at one point, “All I wanted was some steak.”
The restaurant itself said in a statement there were no “serious injuries,” but it would not confirm whether the physical brawl was really over steak.
Alex Rios, who was allegedly involved in the fight, told a local ABC affiliate that miscommunication may have been behind the fight. He explained that both he and another person were waiting on steaks, and when the rare-cooked steak was handed out faster for Rios, it apparently angered the other patron.
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“[The cook is] trying to understand what you want and give you what you want,” he said. “I had a rare steak, which is a lot faster to cook than a well-done steak. That’s why I got my steak first,” he added, noting that wearing masks did not help anyone communicate clearly.
Rios confirmed there were no major injuries, but he said he and other family members walked away with minor injuries, like bruises and black eyes.
The Golden Corral where the brawl took place reopened on Sunday after sustaining damage. No arrests have been made as of Monday.
