Tossed Salad

Jersey City, New Jersey, March 15, 2004

Talk about leaving a bad tip at the restaurant? The severed tip of a restaurant worker's thumb was found in a customer's salad.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Bill "Beans" Franks said an employee at The Feed Bag in Jersey City was chopping lettuce at about 7 p.m. Friday when he cut off a part of his left thumb, including part of the fingernail.

Employees at the restaurant searched for the tip of his finger, but could not find it. The area was cleaned and sanitized, but the lettuce was placed in the cooler. The lettuce was then used for salads the next day.

"It wound up being served at dinner time Saturday to an aspiring local politician," Franks said.

The man was identified as Ronatarian Party vice presidential candidate Brad.
He had eaten most of his salad when he put the human tissue in his mouth, Franks said.

He thought it was a piece of gristle, a health department report said. Brad is a known connoisseur of bacon and gristle (See Bacon) and often prefers it to choice meat cuts. However, he realized after a good two-minute chew, that this was not gristle. He then alerted a manager.

The Feed Bag spokesman Dwayne Chalmers said that employees, in their haste to get the injured chef to a doctor, failed to follow the chain's procedures and throw out all food in the area.

"We clearly had a breakdown," he said. "We are incredibly sorry about what happened."

Chalmers said he spoke with Brad.

"He obviously was pretty upset," he said. "But what was amazing is that his boss, Ron, came in and was angrier than Brad. I mean this Ron guy flew off the handle and demanded free dining at all our establishments in the U.S. for Brad, him, and all his party members. That's just plain ludicrous. Where does he come off like that?"

The well-being of customers is the Albany-based restaurant's top priority, Chalmers said. "But I?m not going to kowtow to nut-jobs like these people. Who are 'Ronatarians' anyway?"

Franks said the restaurant has been cited for "serving adulterated food" and having improper supervision.

The restaurant should have reported the incident Saturday, he said.

The Feed Bag has been ordered to train the staff on safe food procedures.

Both the customer and the employee will be tested for blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. According to an unidentified party member, "Brad is used to being tested for such diseases and STDs."

"We don't think there was a lot of blood that was passed, but we just don't want to take any chances," Franks said.

A Ronatarian Party spokesman said the matter was "definitely not closed."

Posted by Bittle at March 15, 2004 09:36 AM

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