A customer from Greenwich, Connecticut, Allison Cozzi, has filed a lawsuit against the fast casual chain Chopt Creative Salad Co. claiming that she found a piece of the manager's finger in her salad. The incident allegedly occurred on April 7, 2023, at a Chopt location in Mount Kisco, New York. Cozzi realized while eating her salad that she was chewing on a portion of a human finger that had been mixed into the salad. The lawsuit reveals that a manager at the restaurant accidentally severed a piece of her left pointer finger while chopping arugula. Although the manager went to the hospital, the contaminated arugula was served to customers, including Cozzi.

Records from the Westchester County health department indicate that Chopt was fined $900 due to the incident. Cozzi claims that she suffered various injuries as a result of consuming the contaminated salad, including shock, panic attacks, migraines, cognitive impairment, nausea, dizziness, and neck and shoulder pain. She is seeking unspecified monetary damages through the lawsuit. An email seeking comment was sent to Chopt Creative Salad Co., but the company has not responded. Cozzi's attorney stated that she does not want to comment further on the matter.

This is not the first time that a customer has allegedly discovered a human finger in their food. In 2016, a pregnant woman from California claimed to have found a bloody fingertip in a salad at an Applebee's restaurant in Paso Robles. In 2012, a teenager from Michigan reported finding a finger, including a knuckle, in his Arby's roast beef sandwich. In 2010, a woman from Florida sued IHOP after allegedly finding the severed tip of a finger in her fried chicken green salad. In 2005, a man allegedly found part of a severed finger in a pint of frozen custard purchased from a Kohl's Frozen Custard shop in North Carolina.

The lawsuit filed by Allison Cozzi describes how she bit into a severed finger that belonged to the manager at the Chopt Creative Salad Co. location in Mount Kisco. Cozzi made this shocking discovery on April 7, according to the 12-page suit filed in Westchester County. While eating her salad, she realized that she was chewing on a portion of a human finger that had been mixed into the salad. The lawsuit further alleges that earlier in the day, an employee working at the Chopt restaurant accidentally chopped off a portion of her left pointer finger while chopping arugula. The employee, who is a manager at the eatery, was taken to the hospital, but the severed finger was left behind and ended up in Cozzi's salad.

Following the incident, the Westchester County Department of Health cited the restaurant for a violation. However, this did little to alleviate Cozzi's trauma and illness caused by the stomach-turning episode. The lawsuit claims that Cozzi suffered severe personal injuries, including shock, panic attacks, migraines, cognitive impairment, traumatic stress, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and neck and shoulder pain. The suit accuses Chopt Creative Salad Co. and its parent company, Founders Table Restaurant Group, of negligence and statutory violations. Cozzi is seeking undisclosed damages.

Marc Reibman, Cozzi's lawyer, declined to discuss the case and stated that his client does not want any publicity. He mentioned that Cozzi fears that publicity will worsen her stress and anxiety levels. Founders Table Restaurant Group has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.