The IHOP slogan is “come hungry,” but for a certain IHOP in Whitehaven, Tennessee, it seems like the real slogan is “come hungry… for a fight!™” It’s unknown whether this staff of IHOP workers started the preparation for their busy day by warming up by punching pads made of flapjacks, or even loosened up before this not-so-royal rumble, but the results are as expected for a brawl of this magnitude — people got arrested, and IHOP will no doubt have a “help wanted” sign as soon as the settled dust and splattered maple syrup is cleaned.
We join the melee in media res, with the cameraman showing some serious bravery by getting right in the middle of the fray. Camps seem to be divided between two of the workers, with a kind of DX vs. The Corporation feel to it. It’s impossible to tell what had to happen for things to get like this, but here they are, maybe early in the morning, destroying a back dining room area, throwing baby seats, grown human seats and brandishing butter knives with lethal intentions all while a third camp tries to settle down the combatants.
According to Foodbeast, Janika Nellums and Shanika Strickland were arrested on assault and vandalism charges after the battle ended, proving that even if you’re a winner of an IHOP Battle Royale, there are no winners of an IHOP Battle Royale.
There are no winners of a Denny’s fight on Halloween either, it seems.
Denny’s, in general, seem to be the only place besides the squared circle where fights break out often, and without hesitation.
But Waffle Houses, McDonald’s and many other places aren’t free from instant, food-covered combat.
What a time to be alive.