Buffet brawl: Fists and chairs fly after argument over steak escalates at PA Golden Corral

Voices that were muffled by masks may have escalated the misunderstanding, one customer says

Alexis Rios says the brawl started over a misunderstanding regarding a piece of steak.

BENSALEM, Pennsylvania — An apparent misunderstanding over a steak order escalated into an all-out brawl at a Golden Corral restaurant in Pennsylvania.

Video shows at least a dozen customers engaged in the fight, throwing punches and chairs while restaurant employees tried to break up the melee.

One man at the center of the fight says the initial argument may have been escalated in part by people having trouble understanding each other through their masks.

Some bumps and bruises, but no serious injuries were reported and police are investigating.

Alexis Rios says it started when the person in front of him became angry with the cook because Rios received his steak first.

“(The cook is) trying to understand what you want and give you what you want,” he says. “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.”

Rios says everyone was wearing masks and had a hard time hearing each other. He believes this may have caused the fight to escalate.

“With COVID right now, masks and everything, nobody can hear nobody sometimes,” said Rios.

Some people could be seen on video tossing chairs as the brawl broke out.

“I grab a chair to defend myself,” Rios says, “and then sooner or later that was it. Punches were getting thrown. Chairs were getting thrown.”

Officials with Golden Corral released a statement saying, “We notified the local authorities and they are investigating the incident. Thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported. The safety of our guests and our coworkers is our top priority.”

It happened Friday afternoon at the Golden Corral located on the 1400 block of Street Road in Bensalem.

Rios admits he is amazed everyone walked away relatively unscathed.

“Nobody was on the ground. Nobody got hurt. I got a bruise on my nose. My brother got a black eye. My brother got a lifted nail. That was it,” said Rios.

So far police have not made any arrests.