Jan 2, 2008 11:56 pm US/Pacific
'Hearty Eater' Claims Buffet Banned Him
HOUMA, La. (AP) ―
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.
Labit and Borrelli said they felt discriminated against because of
their size. "I was stunned, that somebody would say something like
that. I ain't that fat, I only weigh 277," Borrelli said, adding that a
waitress told him he looked like he a had a "baby in the belly."
Houma accountant Thomas Campo said the men were charged an extra $10
each on Dec. 21 because they made a habit of dining exclusively on the
more expensive seafood dishes, including crab legs and frog legs.
"We have a lot of big people there," said Campo, who spoke for owner
Li Shang, whose English is limited. "We don't discriminate."
Labit denied ever being told he would be asked to pay more than the standard adult price.
The argument grew heated, and police were called.
The police report states, "The incident was settled when the
management advised that the bill was a mistake and, to appease Ricky,
the meal was complimentary."
Labit said he insisted on paying but was told not to come back. He
complained that when seafood on the buffet line runs out, the
restaurant only grudgingly cooks more.
Campo said the proprietress tries to reduce waste of quality food, he said.
"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."
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
