“From what I heard, it was over steak. Apparently somebody cut in line,” Dylan Becker, a former Golden Corral employee, told CBS Philly. He said a current worker told him this. 

His friend Gaven Lauletta also told the local news station that he heard from Golden Corral workers that “there was a shortage of steak, and two parties were involved.” 

Indeed, a man can be heard saying, “All I wanted was some steak!” on the video, which went viral on social media over the weekend. It led “Golden Corral” to trend on Twitter
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on Tuesday morning. One tweet sharing the video has been viewed almost 300,000 times. Be warned that there is some strong language and violence depicted, and that this clip may be disturbing for some viewers. 

The footage shows the buffet melee erupting, ironically enough, beneath a painted sign reading “Gather Round.” Customers begin pushing and shoving each other, before some lift up high chairs and begin swinging and throwing them. Punches are also thrown, and many people run away or jump over chairs and tables to get away. “Throwing chairs? God—,” one person is heard saying. Employees are also shown trying to break up the brawlers, and screaming at customers to get out. As the angry crowd begins to disperses, the restaurant is left in shambles.

Golden Corral was not immediately available for comment. JK Hospitality, LLC, owns that specific Golden Corral franchise location, told CBS Philly in a statement that, “Thankfully, no serious injury have been reported. The safety of our guests and co-workers is our top priority.”

Bensalem police told CBS that the food fight may have involved more than 40 people. Law enforcement confirmed that it happened following an argument among some customers, although officers were still investigating exactly what caused the argument, as well as who incited the incident. The instigator(s) could face several charges, including simple assault. 

One local woman who watched the video told CBS she was “disgusted that people would even do that in a public place when there’s children around.”

One viewer on Twitter mused, “If you’re angry about Golden Corral running out of steak, you should reexamine your life choices.”

“Americans are fighting each other at Golden Corral over low-grade steaks. We are doing great,” added another.

The shocking footage sparked plenty of conversation — and jokes at Golden Corral’s expense — online.

Golden Corral isn’t the only restaurant feeling the pinch of supply chain issues, rising steak prices and high demand of late, of course. Chipotle workers recently told MarketWatch that they have been feeling “ripped in two” after being overwhelmed by online orders and furious customers. Chipotle employees also told MarketWatch about running out of steak and trying to substitute chicken instead — leading to angry customers yelling at them. One worker recalled a time when his Bronx, N.Y. store was only taking online orders, and the crush of orders led to a backup of about 30 people waiting outside.

The employee, Albert Morales, said one customer picked up a chair and threw it, leaving a mark on one of the windows. Morales called the police twice, but nobody came until he and his coworkers flagged down a couple of officers they saw driving by, who eventually calmed the man down.

“He was yelling and cursing,” Morales said. “He wanted to fight with me and the employees, and wanted to beat up our security guard.”