A Connecticut woman received quite a surprise in her Chopt salad when she claims she bit down on an employee's severed finger. The alleged incident occurred at one of the fast-casual chain’s Mount Kisco, New York locations last April, according to The New York Post, who reviewed the lawsuit.
Chopt Creative Salad Co. boasts over 70 restaurants throughout the Northeast and South. Their mission is to “make healthy eating exciting for all people.” The chain prides itself on using fresh, local produce and providing nutritious meals that taste delicious.
Things went slightly awry for the company when, on April 7, the plaintiff sat down to enjoy her seasonal bowl and instead says she discovered a mutilated digit. “Shortly after [the] plaintiff purchased the salad, while she was eating, she realized that she was chewing on a portion of a human finger that had been mixed in, and made a part of, the salad,” the lawsuit, filed Monday in Westchester County, reads.
The grisly story only turns more disgusting from there. After the finger was consumed, it was determined “that earlier in the day an employee working at the restaurant was chopping arugula and chopped off, or cut off, a portion of her left pointer finger,” according to the suit.
The unidentified employee was rushed to a local hospital, but unfortunately didn’t retrieve their finger. It somehow ended up back in the ingredients station, where it made its way into the plaintiff’s salad.
Per The Associated Press, the Westchester County Department of Health issued the restaurant a violation, but the measly $900 fine did little to soothe the plaintiff’s pain. Since the incident, she’s reportedly suffered “severe and serious personal injuries, including shock, panic attacks, migraine and the exacerbation of migraine, cognitive impairment, traumatic stress and anxiety, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and neck and shoulder pain.”
The suit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages from Chopt and its parent company, Founders Table Restaurant Group, for negligence and “statutory violations.” Neither Chopt nor the plaintiff’s attorney, Marc Reibman, responded to requests for comment from Men’s Journal.
However, on Tuesday Reibman told The New York Post that he and his client would not be commenting any further on the lawsuit. “My client has instructed me that she does not want any publicity,” the Brooklyn-based attorney said. “She is fearful that publicity will exacerbate her stress and anxiety levels.”
