Chopt Is Facing A Lawsuit After A Customer Found A Finger In Her Salad
Accidents happen, especially in commercial kitchens, which is why food safety guidelines are set in place for the benefit of both employees and customers. These rules include things like requiring employees to wear hairnets, regularly wash their hands, and follow proper food handling instructions. Customers should rest easy knowing that the food they order will be properly cleaned, stored, and prepared without any contamination from those making it. Sadly, that apparently wasn't the case for one patron of Chopt.
The chain of fast-casual restaurants, which primarily sells salads, bowls, and wraps, is in some serious hot water after an incident at a New York location. It seems that the brand may have fallen short of its mission "to make healthy eating exciting for all people" by allegedly serving customers contaminated arugula. As reported by CBS News, one Chopt diner claims to have consumed a salad that included "a portion of a human finger" from one of the restaurant's employees, according to a lawsuit filed November 27. Besides the legal action being pursued, the restaurant has faced a $900 fee from the Westchester County Health Department.
How could an employee's finger end up in a customer's meal?
Chopt prides itself on making healthy salads that aren't boring. While finding a finger in your salad definitely isn't dull, it sure isn't appetizing, either. Apparently, on April 7, 2023, a Chopt manager was chopping arugula when they cut off the tip of their finger. The manager was promptly taken to the hospital, but back at the restaurant, employees continued to serve the contaminated salad ingredients to customers. This is likely how the severed finger allegedly ended up in a customer's salad bowl. The lawsuit filed by Connecticut resident Allison Cozzi details that she bit down on the finger before realizing what her meal contained.
While neither the restaurant nor Cozzi has responded to requests for comments, NBC News shared an email from her lawyer stating that "the failure to supervise the preparation and service of food in a manner that protects the public is a blatant deviation from accepted safe practice and deserves significant compensation." Cozzi is reportedly suing Chopt for emotional and physical distress.
Of course, this isn't the first, or even the wildest, fast-food lawsuit we've ever seen. Those who remember the Wendy's chili finger of 2005 are likely experiencing some distressed flashbacks. While that incident was later exposed as a scam plotted by the customer, it made people think twice about eating from a fast food joint where fingers could be found.