A four-year-old girl’s first trip to a hibachi restaurant didn’t quite go as planned as she darted from her chair and fell to the floor in shock at the sight of flames.
Harper Vaughn, from Overland Park, Kansas, had been pre-warned by her mom, Toni, 41, about what to expect when heading to the unique eating establishment.
The pair were set to attend a birthday party for Toni’s niece, so she explained what she might see to her daughter.
Toni felt things could go one of two ways: Harper would either be excited or scared at the sight of flames and the flamboyant dining style.
In the end, it turned out to be the latter.
On September 14, at Stix Restaurant in Kansas City, Harper took her seat, and then her mom said the chef was about to make a “mini volcano.”
Toni had her phone ready, planning to capture either a delighted or fearful reaction from her daughter, and as the flames rose, the four-year-old quickly recoiled in fear.
Harper then stepped away from her seat and the table, causing her to fall to the floor in shock.
She was not hurt in any way, which meant her mom and family could find the sweet moment hilarious.
Toni later shared the video she had captured on social media, where commenters found the four-year-old’s fight-or-flight response amusing.
She said: “My daughter has never been to a hibachi restaurant, so I talked with her before we went on to what to expect.
“I had the talk with her, because Harper is an extremely busy child, and I knew that she would either be super excited or super scared from hibachi-style dining.
“I warned her about the fire and flames but reassured her that mommy would be right there.
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“When the hibachi chef came to the table and began pouring the oil, I said, ‘Here we go…he’s going to make a mini volcano for us!’
“At that moment the flames went up way higher than I expected, and she jumped completely out the chair.
“I was shocked that she started running and thought it was a hilarious response.
“She’s so animated so I knew whatever her response was it was going to be one to remember.
“Friends and family who personally know Harper did not expect anything different.
“Harper is full of personality and expresses herself often as a toddler.”