'Hearty' eater says buffet banned him

Source

HOUMA, La. - A 6-foot-3, 265-pound man says a restaurant overcharged him for his trips to the buffet line, then banned him and a relative because they're hearty eaters. A spokesman for the restaurant denies the claim.

Ricky Labit, a disabled offshore worker, said he had been a regular for eight months at the Manchuria Restaurant in Houma, eating there as often as three times a week.

On his most recent visit, he said, a waitress gave him and his wife's cousin, 44-year-old Michael Borrelli, a bill for $46.40, roughly double the buffet price for two adults.

"She says, 'Y'all fat, and y'all eat too much,'" Labit said.

Thoughts?

I don't think I've ever been at a buffet where an additional cost is added to the bill if one consumes the pricier food items. I'm a big fan of crab legs (just ask DolphinChicaDDD!) and there have been times I'd get a small salad plate and then I'd make several trips for crab legs. I've never paid more than the standard price/person plus tax.

I don't recall anyone ever monitoring my trips to the buffet line, either. I don't know how big this place is, but I wouldn't be surprised if the man and his cousin were targeted because of their frequent trips there.

The end of the article states:

"Food is for eating, not toys for your child," reads a sign posted on a wall in typewritten text. A handwritten addition reads "Or 20% added."

I understand the importance of not wasting food, but adding 20% if it does go to waste? Ridiculous.

If the limited-English speaking owner was so concerned about how much food was being consumed, then perhaps she's in the wrong kind of business?