NEW YORK — Chaos erupted inside a New York City restaurant when customers became violent after they were told there was a charge for dipping sauce for their French fries.
Video posted online shows the violent food fight that took place over the July 4 holiday weekend at Bel-Fries on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Employees were left traumatized by the chaos that began just after 4 a.m.
“Two of my employees were hit in the head with glass bottles,” Annalee Schlossberg, one of the restaurant’s owners, told WCBS. Schlossberg was not present during the attack.
Another co-owner told WNBC that there are six employees at the restaurant, but none want to come back to work because they are too frightened.
The restaurant charges $1.75 for dipping sauce, but the customers didn’t want to pay.
“They wanted extra sauce for the fries, and when we explained that it costs $1.75, they got upset,” Rafael Nuñez, the restaurant’s chef and the person who recorded the video of the brawl, told Univision. “We explained to them that this is a business rule and that it is the same for everyone, but they did not understand.”
Video shows the women ripping apart and throwing everything in sight, even tearing down a plastic barrier bolted to the counter. The women are accused of throwing metal objects, destroying computers, and can even be seen getting on the restaurant’s counter and twerking, WNBC reported. Video obtained by the station also shows employees behind the counter trying to take cover during the attack.
Chitara Plasencia, Tatiyanna Johnson and Pearl Ozoria were all arrested and face felony charges, WCBS reported. Ozoria is also accused of stealing money from the register and punching an arresting officer in the face, according to the station.
Throughout the video, an alarm is heard blaring in the background. Victoria Baez, an employee who was present, told Univision that she turned it on to scare the women, but they responded by laughing.
Schlossberg told WCBS that she has hired a security guard and is working to add new safety measures inside the restaurant.
“My number one priority is making sure all of my employees are not only physically OK, but mentally OK,” Schlossberg told the station.