A routine dinner turned chaotic at a Japanese steakhouse in North Carolina when part of the ceiling suddenly collapsed onto diners. One woman was injured, and emergency crews responded to the scene.
The incident happened Sunday evening at Arigato Japanese Steak & Seafood House in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to FOX8 WGHP. Forsyth County Emergency Medical Services received a call just after 4 p.m., and Winston-Salem Fire responded after reports that a woman had been injured by falling ceiling debris. Staff quickly evacuated diners, and the restaurant closed for the night.
EMS sent two ambulances and treated four people at the scene, FOX8 WGHP reported. Two people were taken by non-emergency transport to Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center to be checked for blunt trauma and exposure to ceiling debris.
Customer Shantise Jones told ABC45 she was having her usual Sunday dinner when the ceiling collapsed.
“The whole ceiling caved in and what I thought was a feather was actually the stuff from the ceiling,” Jones said.
She said she first thought the falling insulation was something harmless before realizing what had happened.
A restaurant representative identified as Matsuoka told FOX8 WGHP that the drywall and insulation were not properly supported, causing that section of the ceiling to fall.
A city building inspector confirmed the drywall had not been properly nailed to the joist, but said the building did not suffer any structural damage, according to the outlet.
Internet Reacts to North Carolina Steakhouse Ceiling Collapse
The video of the collapse drew a mix of concern and dark humor online. “Jeez. That looked painful. I hope she recovers from that injury. Get a lawyer ASAP,” one commenter wrote.
Others leaned into jokes about the aftermath, with one writing, “I ain’t getting up until that check clears,” and another adding, “Don’t get up from there miss, do not get up until your injury lawyer arrives.”
A different commenter questioned the reaction of other diners, asking, “Why the rest of the people there still sitting comfortably and less concerned?” Another placed blame on the building itself, writing, “Oh not, a bad work was done on the ceiling. I’m glad she survived it. I hope the restaurant take full responsibility of what had happened.”
The next morning, a handwritten sign on the restaurant’s door read, “We are closing due to repairs, sorry for the inconvenience.” The restaurant said it plans to reopen once repairs are finished.
