It’s a Balthazar brawl! Fists fly outside fancy NYC restaurant… and owner says it’s all down to his foe James Corden
Diners at trendy New York restaurant Balthazar were left speechless when several men began fighting on the street, right next to the tables they were sitting at. The owner says James Corden is to blame.
Stunned bystanders reported that the men got into a fight outside the restaurant in SoHo on Saturday afternoon.
Many video images of the incident have been shared, showing officers using metal poles and chairs to try to stop the man.
The video shows customers running away screaming as the fighters pound on the tables at the guests’ feet.
Here the staff can be seen trying to hold the fighter (face off-screen, in jeans) as he flees
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York among many other restaurants, shared a photo of the brawl on his own social media
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York among many other restaurants, shared a photo of the brawl on his own social media.
“There was a huge brawl outside Balthazar on Saturday night after a customer voiced his support for James Corden,” he said.
McNally publicly lashed out at Corden in October 2022 after a particularly unfortunate encounter at the restaurant, revealing that he had banned Corden.
He said: ‘James Corden is an enormously talented comedian, but a small Cretin of a man. And the most insulting customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.’
The restaurateur said he was initially hesitant to publicly attack Corden, but did so out of “loyalty to restaurant workers everywhere.”
Stunned bystanders said the men got into a fight outside the SoHo restaurant early Saturday evening
“There was a huge brawl outside Balthazar Saturday night after a customer showed support for James Corden,” he said. McNally publicly lambasted Corden in October 2022
A few hours after the initial post, he revealed that Corden had personally called him to apologize and that was why he had lifted the ban.
A customer who witnessed the brawl on Saturday night said she was extremely disappointed with the way the staff and management handled the situation.
The woman said the least the staff could have done was “offer a free glass of wine or something, because we were in the middle of it. Just to ease the stress afterwards or make our evening somewhat enjoyable.”
“They fell to the ground right in front of us, just before I picked up my phone. It was so unexpected,” she said.
“My first and last time in this horrible establishment. SoHo is not safe anymore.”
A video of the incident has been circulated, showing the brawl unfolding as several employees tried to restrain the man using metal posts and chairs.
The woman was criticized for being “unaware” of the incident, with some witnesses claiming that “the waiters had to fight someone off.”
“Can you imagine having a bad day at work? And being sad that you didn’t get a free glass of wine?”
Police were called to the scene around 4pm on Saturday in connection with a complaint of intimidation.
According to New York police, the man entered the restaurant and was accused of causing a disturbance.
The man is not wanted by the police and no further investigation is taking place.