Man Sues Over Mashed Potatoes After Breaking 2 Teeth at Outback Steakhouse
A man sued over mashed potatoes at Outback Steakhouse after breaking two teeth on a piece of porcelain plate in his meal. The Portland, Ore. man had to have two molars removed after they could not be saved.
The man suing over the mashed potatoes is Roger Branstetter, who visited the Outback Steakhouse Feb. 17, 2012. After biting down hard on mashed potatoes, he claims he cracked two molars. Branstetter told his server, who informed the manager of the incident, according to The Oregonian.
Managers "admitted to the plaintiff that a plate had broken in the kitchen and that pieces had fallen into the mashed potatoes," the lawsuit, which was filed in court Friday, explained. It also claims that the restaurant didn't tell customers a dish had broken and let them "make their own informed decision regarding whether to eat food that might contain sharp, hard, dangerous and potentially deadly pieces of a broken plate."
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The broken piece of porcelain could have had "fatal" consequences, because if swallowed it would have "punctured internal organs such as the (customer's) esophagus, stomach or intestines," the lawsuit read.
Branstetter had to have those teeth pulled and replaced with dental implants. He is suing Outback Steakhouse and Evergreen Restaurant Group for the amount of $48,000 for not throwing out the mashed potatoes in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Jason Bender, who is a managing partner at Evergreen, said he'd never heard of a case like this or customers with similar complaints, according to the Associated Press. Still, he said that Outback stresses safety.
"It's really disappointing when someone gets hurt inside the restaurant," he added.
