Diners at trendy New York restaurant Balthazar were left speechless when several men began brawling on the street directly beside busy tables - and the owner says James Corden is to blame.
Stunned onlookers said the men came to blows on Saturday afternoon outside of the SoHo restaurant.
Video of the incident has been widely shared, showing the melee as multiple staff tried to stop the man using metal bollards and chairs.
In the video, customers were seen fleeing the area and screaming as the brawlers crashed into tables at diners feet.
Staff can be seen here attempting to hold onto the brawler (face out of frame, in jeans) as he flees
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York alongside a swathe of other restaurants, shared a picture from the brawl to his own social media
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar in New York alongside a swathe of other restaurants, shared a picture from the brawl to his own social media.
There was a huge fight outside Balthazar Saturday night after a customer voiced support for James Corden, he said.
McNally publicly pilloried Corden in October 2022 after a particularly unfortunate encounter at the restaurant and revealed hed banned Corden.
He said: James Corden is a Hugely gifted comedian, but a tiny Cretin of a man. And the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago.
The restaurateur said he was initially hesitant to publicly put Corden on blast, but did so out of loyalty to restaurant servers everywhere.
Stunned onlookers said the men came to blows early on Saturday evening outside of the SoHo restaurant
There was a huge fight outside Balthazar Saturday night after a customer voiced support for James Corden, he said. McNally publicly pilloried Corden in October 2022
Hours after the initial post, he revealed Corden had personally called him to apologise and, as such, hed revoked the ban.
A customer who witnessed Saturday evenings brawl firsthand said she was extremely disappointed in how staff and management handled the situation.
The woman said the least staff could have done was offer a complimentary glass of wine or something because we were caught right in the middle of it, just to take the stress off after this or make our evening somewhat of a pleasant experience.
They fell to the ground right in front of us, right before I took my phone out, it was so unexpected, she said.
My first and last time in this terrible establishment. SoHo is not safe anymore.
Video of the incident has been widely shared, showing the melee as multiple staff tried to stop the man using metal bollards and chairs
The woman was criticized for her out of touch response to the incident, with some witnesses arguing waiters had to fight someone off.
Can you imagine having a bad day like that at work? And youre sad you didnt get a free glass of wine?
Police were called to the scene about 4pm on Saturday regarding a harassment complaint.
The NYPD said the man entered the restaurant and was accused of causing annoyance and alarm.
The man is not wanted by police and there is no further investigation.