The town of Beloit, Wisconsin (population of nearly 37,000), is located in prime whitetail country, in far southern Wisconsin, near the Illinois border. In the 30-second YouTube video below, you’ll see surveillance footage provided by the popular restaurant Noodles & Company.
The date/time stamp on the video shows 11:53 CST on Oct. 24, 2023; in other words, the height of the lunchtime push on this particular Tuesday. Watch closely in the top-right corner of the video and you’ll see the young 4x4 whitetail buck crash through a window, then walk into the restaurant. Of course, customers quickly scatter.
Because a deer’s hooves don’t provide solid traction on the restaurant’s smooth floor, the buck is careful with his steps. He eventually wanders back into the kitchen area, which thankfully is vacant. Had one or more people been in the kitchen, there’s no telling how the deer might have reacted; it likely wouldn’t have been good.
The staff at Noodles & Company were smart to leave the back door of the business open, and luckily the buck soon found it. As you’ll see, once the buck spots the exit, he runs for freedom.
It appears the buck wasn’t harmed during the incident, which is a reminder of a whitetail’s toughness. And thankfully, no persons were injured, too.
After a deep clean of the restaurant, it reopened. And in a clever move to take advantage of the business’s publicity on the news and social media, it offered a “2 Buck Mac & Cheese” special on October 25. Well played, Noodles & Company!
