NYC Steakhouse Accused of Eating Customer's Birthday Cake: Did They Really 'Steal' It?

NYC Steakhouse Accused of Eating Customer's Birthday Cake: Did They Really 'Steal' It?

The internet is obsessed with cake drama, and this latest incident involving a homemade birthday cake at a high-end New York City steakhouse has gone viral.

Food content creator Ryan Nordheimer made a 15-layer Funfetti cake for his friend's birthday. He filmed the entire process, culminating in a video where he mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that "the restaurant ate half the cake for themselves." This comment sparked a wave of curiosity and outrage online.

In a subsequent video, Ryan detailed the events of the evening. He explained that the cake was "massive" and "at least twice the size of [his] head." After a celebratory dinner, the restaurant staff brought out the cake with a candle for the birthday song. After singing, they took it back into the kitchen to cut it, as per their policy to cut cakes in the kitchen for safety reasons. When the cake was finally served, Ryan described the slices as "thin" and estimated that his group of 12 received only half of the cake in tiny portions. They requested the remaining half, but the staff claimed there was none left.

Ryan's video went viral, with 9 million views. Viewers expressed outrage and accused the restaurant of taking the cake back and eating it themselves. Many people commented that they would be fired if they did this as food service workers. The internet sleuths quickly identified the restaurant as Quality Meats, a steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan.

Quality Meats denied the accusations in a statement to BuzzFeed, claiming they did not eat any of the cake and that the accusations were "completely false." They also defended their policy on cutting cakes in the kitchen, stating it is standard practice across all their restaurants.

However, the backlash continued as online comments flooded Quality Meats' social media accounts and their Google and Yelp reviews. Many people expressed disbelief, citing the waiter's claim that there was no cake left. The restaurant temporarily disabled posting on its Yelp page, while reviews on Google and Yelp continue to reflect the outrage.

Ryan later posted another video, stating that Quality Meats had contacted him and apologized, claiming that the cake was left behind in the kitchen and their staff likely forgot about it. The restaurant offered him a complimentary dinner for two as compensation.

Even with the restaurant's apology and explanation, the saga continues to fuel online discussions. Some viewers remain unconvinced, while others believe it was simply a mistake on a busy Saturday night. Ryan urges viewers to refrain from leaving comments on the restaurant's Instagram, stating that they likely made an honest mistake and that the employees are just trying to make a living.

What do you think? Was this a genuine mistake, or is there more to this cake drama? Let us know in the comments.