A Chopt customer claims she found part of a finger in her salad
A Connecticut woman is suing the fast-casual chain Chop’t Creative Salad Company after being served a salad she says contained part of the severed finger of a manager, an account bolstered by a county health department’s inspection report.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, Greenwich resident Allison Cozzi was eating a salad on April 7 when she “realized she was chewing on a portion of a human finger” that had been mixed into the dish. The digit, a part of a left index finger, belonged to a manager who had injured herself earlier in the day, the filing alleges. The manager had been chopping arugula when she accidentally cut off part of her finger and went to the hospital for treatment, the lawsuit claims. Afterward, it alleges, the greens were not removed from the restaurant’s line, but remained and were served to customers, including Cozzi.
Chop’t did not respond to an email seeking comment.
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Details about the incident are also described in documents from the Westchester County Health Department, which inspected the Chop’t location in Mount Kisco, N.Y., that Cozzi had visited. According to an inspection report from the county, a manager identified as Keny M. told the inspector that she cut off the tip of her left forefinger while preparing arugula. After she left to seek medical treatment, “workers did not realize the arugula was contaminated with human blood and a finger tip skin” and was served to customers, according to the report. A customer’s complaint about finding the finger was reported “to the store and to corporate,” but not to health officials, it states. The report, which named Cozzi as the customer, said the “corrective action” included discussion of the requirement to notify the department of potential contamination and any potential illnesses caused by food served.
A hearing was held on the matter on May 25, according to the health department documents, during which a Chop’t district manager said the “violations were corrected” and expressed “contrition for failure to report.” Chop’t was fined a total of $900, records show.
Cozzi accused the restaurant of negligence and is seeking unspecified damages, claiming that she suffered from various injuries including shock, anxiety, panic attacks, nausea, vomiting and dizziness following the incident.
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