A beef over beef started brawl at Bensalem’s Golden Corral. Two brothers now face charges

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Jo Ciavaglia, Nur B. Adam and Crissa Shoemaker DeBree, Bucks County Courier Times

Bensalem police have cited two brothers who allegedly instigated what turned into a large brawl at the Golden Corral Buffet & Grill that was captured on viral video last month.

But their role in the fight — the largest in recent memory, police said — isn’t the reason Alexis Rios, 46, of Trenton, and Hector Rios-Rodriguez, 49, of Altamonte Springs,Florida, each face a single charge of summary disorderly conduct, according to court filings.

It’s what the men allegedly did after police arrived at the Street Road restaurant on Jan. 30.

The brothers continued behaving badly in the restaurant after the other parties involved in the fight left, Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said.  

“They were very offensive and it took quite a bit of time for police officers to calm them down and get them out of there,” McVey said Tuesday. That behavior led to the charges.

A police investigation determined that it was a beef over a steak order that apparently ticked off the two men, who were at the restaurant with another brother, police said. 

One of the brothers started using racial slurs and “mouthing off” to children waiting in line for steak, McVey said.  

The children returned to where they were sitting and told their families what happened. Words were exchanged between the parties — followed by thrown tables, chairs, dishes and glasses, police said.

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The mayhem that followed involved at least 40 people and was captured in a three-minute and 24-second video that created a storm on social media and attracted national media attention.

The footage showed a large crowd of customers shouting and screaming before others started running as people charged at each other armed with restaurant furniture. Some customers are seen throwing high chairs and tables.

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After about two minutes, most of the people fighting appear to leave the restaurant. Police identified many of them as family members of the children whom the Rios brothers allegedly harassed in the steak line, police said. 

None of the individuals who participated in the fight but left before police arrived are facing charges, McVey said. The department worked with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office to decide what charges were appropriate, McVey said.

McVey lauded Golden Corral for its cooperation and its employees, who could be seen in the video intervening and attempting to separate the fighting customers as items were hurdled near them.

As far as police know, the employees were the only ones hurt in the melee, but McVey described the injuries as superficial, minor injuries.

“They acted very courageously,” he added.