The Reason An IHOP Fight Just Went Viral On TikTok
When you think of hand-to-hand combat and violence, you probably aren't thinking about breakfast. It might be safe to say you've never had to dodge a fist or incapacitate an opponent just to grab a seat at a buffet. But, for reasons that are unknown to us, restaurants and public displays of violence seem to be strange bedfellows.
For example, in 2018, a Denny's in New Jersey witnessed a 15-person brawl for reasons unknown, resulting in one arrest and $2,500 dollars in damage (via The Daily Journal). Back in February, a Golden Corral in Pennsylvania degenerated into a WWE-style free-for-all, complete with the throwing of chairs, because someone apparently cut the line for steak (via NBC Philadelphia). Now, the International House of Pancakes, better known to us as IHOP, was caught serving not just pancakes but also side orders of wanton destruction.
As one TikTok video shows, a man can be seen yelling and whining at a waitress before he throws a glass at her feet. Fortunately, a police offer was able to remove the man from the premises before anyone was hurt.
Even more shocking than the man's behavior was the reason why he threw his fit in the first place.
The customer was mad about slow service
According to the TikTok video, the customer's upset wasn't caused by any insults or demeaning comments; rather, it was because of slow service. The waitress even attempts to explain to the man that only three servers were working that night, but the furious diner wasn't understanding. Many commenters were quick to not only defend the waitress and the other customers but also to pile their opinions on the unruly guest.
"This guy grew up yelling at his mom to get out [of] his room," joked one TikTok user. "Dude thinks he's the main character with the Nathan drake holster straps," quipped another viewer.
While it is unreasonable to act in such a manner, the real question is why one would react like that. What causes certain people like this IHOP customer and the others in the aforementioned restaurant brawls to act like that? The Wall Street Journal reasons that it could be a reaction caused by pent-up stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a sort of "ticking timebomb." Some may even reason that those who act in this way are simply spoiled.
Whatever the case may be, it's always important to remember that so long as there are good people in the world, we needn't worry too much about those who get upset about slow service.