Buffet overcharged man because of his size

HOUMA, La., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A man claims he was overcharged and then banned from a Houma, La., buffet restaurant because of his large appetite.

Ricky Labit, who stands 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs 265 pounds, said he had eaten at the Manchuria Restaurant as often as three times a week for eight months, the Thibodaux (La.) Daily Comet reported Thursday.

However, he said that on his most recent visit, he and his wife's cousin, Michael Borrelli, were handed a bill for $46.40, approximately twice the buffet price for two adults.

"She says, 'Y'all fat, and y'all eat too much,'" Labit said.

The two men said they believe the restaurant discriminated against them because of their size.

"I was stunned, that somebody would say something like that. I ain't that fat, I only weigh 277," Borrelli said. He said a waitress told him he looked like he had a "baby in the belly."

Thomas Campo, an accountant speaking on behalf of the restaurant's owner, Li Shang, said the two men were only charged an extra $10 each on Dec. 21 because they had been known to gravitate exclusively toward the more expensive seafood dishes at the buffet.

A police report states the confrontation ended when "the management advised that the bill was a mistake and, to appease Ricky, the meal was complimentary."