A burger bar has apologised after its own staff were allegedly involved in a punch up at a community event.
A meet-and-greet of social media celebrities Moneykicks and Movlogs, hosted by Batley -based restaurant Frankie’s Burgers, descended into chaos and violence yesterday (Sunday) evening.
Video footage appears to show a man being beaten up by three men in front of a young child and a large crowd.
West Yorkshire Police has confirmed a 38-year-old man, who was queuing up to meet the celebrities with his son, was assaulted.
Posts on social media and a man who contacted the Examiner, said the men committing the attack were wearing Frankie’s Burgers t-shirts.
The reason for the fracas is not yet clear.
The restaurant has apologised and issued a long statement on social media.
It has claimed the men involved were temporary security guards employed for the event.
In a statement on Facebook, the Bradford Road restaurant said: ”Frankie’s Burgers is a family-run and operated restaurant serving the local community.
“Our aim since we opened has always been to provide good quality food within a relaxing environment.
On Sunday June 24th we hosted an event with renowned bloggers Mo Vlogs and Money Kicks.
“Our sincere intention was to provide our customers with a chance to meet these social stars at our expense in a fun and relaxing atmosphere. We wanted all our customers to be able to enjoy the social media event and meet their favourite stars.
“We legislated for a certain amount of people and put, what we believed, were the appropriate measures to be able to handle the crowd.
“However, we grossly underestimated the sheer amount of public that arrived, seriously limiting our efforts to contain the crowd.
“Unfortunately we have also been made aware of an unsavoury incident that took place outside the venue during the event which we find disgusting and abhorrent and in no way a reflection of Frankie’s and what we stand for.
“We would like to place on record that we deplore the actions of these individuals and wholeheartedly apologise to the families of those affected, all our customers and the local community which we are proud to serve.
“Finally, we unreservedly say sorry to all those fans who turned up but couldn’t get a chance to meet the stars which was our aim from the outset. We are now carrying out an internal investigation to ensure this never happens again.
“THE FRANKIE’S BURGER MANAGEMENT.”
West Yorkshire Police, said: “Enquiries are ongoing today following a report of an assault in Batley. Kirklees Police are investigating the incident which took place at around 8.45pm outside a restaurant on Bradford Road, Batley.
“It occurred after a 38-year-old man was assaulted while queuing there with his son.”
Anyone who saw the incident or has any information is asked to contact Kirklees Police on 101 referencing crime number 13180308154.
