Utah restaurateur says Tyler Robinson ate steak hours after Charlie Kirk killing

PANGUITCH, UTAH: A small-town Utah restaurateur claims that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, stopped for a steak dinner just hours after the fatal shooting. According to the owner, Robinson visited the out-of-the-way steakhouse alone and finished a full meal before leaving quietly. 

The restaurant owner said federal investigators later contacted him after Robinson’s arrest, prompting staff to recall the unusual diner from the night of the killing.

Restaurant owner describes Tyler Robinson’s alleged final meal before arrest

The owner of the mom-and-pop steakhouse told investigators that a customer resembling Robinson came in late on the night Charlie Kirk was shot. The man reportedly sat alone at the counter and avoided conversation while eating, according to Fox News.

“So, the gal that served him said that he was quite quiet, kind of shy,” the owner, who asked not to be named, told the publication. “Usually, if somebody sits at our counter, they like to talk. And he sat on the counter, and she said he really didn’t want to talk, just wanted to eat and get out.”

Despite a long wait for tables that evening, the customer appeared unconcerned. The owner recalled the order in detail. “He had a steak — sirloin, medium rare. Vegetables. Baked potato.”

The restaurant is located in Panguitch, a rural town roughly 200 miles south of Utah Valley University, where Robinson is accused of firing a single shot from a rooftop using a .30-06 Mauser rifle, killing Kirk during a Turning Point USA event.

The owner, who said he supports Kirk’s work and has connections to Robinson’s extended family, described the situation as deeply unsettling for the community. “It’s kind of hit a local chord because we’re pretty tight-knit. His grandmother grew up here in town,” he said, calling the episode “a crappy deal all the way around.”

FBI contacts restaurant after photo of alleged gunman circulates

According to the owner, staff members only made the connection after Robinson’s photo was released publicly following his arrest.

“When they put a picture of the young man out there, I had a server say they were relatively certain that they had had that person in that night, late,” the owner said. He then relayed the information to law enforcement.

Federal agents later interviewed the owner and two servers. While technical issues prevented the retrieval of surveillance footage or full cardholder information, the owner provided investigators with the last four digits of the card used to pay for the meal.

“That was the last I’ve heard of it,” the owner said. “I don’t know if the FBI found if it was conclusive if it was him or not.”

Tyler Robinson charged in deadly Turning Point USA shooting

Robinson was arrested two days after the shooting. Authorities allege surveillance footage shows him fleeing from the rooftop, dropping onto a nearby lawn, and escaping into surrounding neighborhoods.

Police later recovered the rifle wrapped in a towel. Robinson now faces seven felony charges, including murder, firearm assault causing injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.