NewsOhio woman sentenced to fast-food duty after assaulting Chipotle manager

Ohio woman sentenced to fast-food duty after assaulting Chipotle manager

The furious woman leaves Chipotle Mexican Grill shortly after attacking the cashier.
The furious woman leaves Chipotle Mexican Grill shortly after attacking the cashier.
Images source: © Wikimedia Commons
8:25 AM EST, December 7, 2023

A customer at Chipotle Grill, a popular Mexican restaurant chain in Ohio, was heavily penalized by a judge for her extreme rudeness to staff, which included throwing a dish at an employee. She is now set to discover firsthand what it's like to work in a similar establishment.

A meal ended up in the face of 26-year-old Emily Russell, the manager of a Mexican cuisine bar. The unsightly event, which happened in September this year, was captured on camera by restaurant customers and soon became a viral sensation.

The erroneous conduct of the disruptive customer was subsequently judged by the court. Rosemary Hayne, a 39-year-old, was found guilty of assault. She admitted to throwing a bowl filled with a burrito after confessing she had hurdled the dish at Russell in September.

According to a report by a local Fox station in Cleveland, which covered the court verdict, Judge Timothy Gilligan of Parma Municipal Court, a city in northeastern Ohio, was appalled at the defendant's behaviour. He stated during the verdict announcement, "Such behaviour is unacceptable."

Russell, the victim, shared the trauma caused by the incident. Before the burrito hit Emily's face, Hayne changed the order twice. The employee who was on duty patiently kept adding more ingredients to meet Hayne's high expectations. Despite leaving with her order, Hayne returned few minutes later to take her anger out on the clerk.

Woman sentenced to work in fast-food restaurant as a penance for dispute she instigated in a bar

"She orated food at me. I was deeply mortified and stunned. The food was hot, so it was not an agreeable experience. My patrons were forced to witness this embarrassing moment," Emily recounted.

"For the next four hours, I had to work with food all over my face and hair. No one was sent to relieve me from my duty," she continued. The silver lining was the encouraging messages she received from all corners of the country.

The police swiftly identified the culprit. Hayne had driven away in her car, but witnesses had no trouble memorizing the license plate. The plate had her name and phone number listed.

Police reported that Rosemary Hayne did not refute her erratic behavior against the cashier. She asserted that she deeply regretted her actions.

However, regrets were not enough. The judge imposed a fine and suspended a 180-day jail term for Hayne. She also received a somewhat unorthodox opportunity to mitigate her sentence.

The offender gets a chance to reduce her sentence by 60 days. On the condition that she must work at a fast food restaurant for two months, committing 20 hours a week. Hayne accepted the proposal, so there's a possibility she will get a dose of dealing with demanding customers.

Russell, the victim of the burrito toss, is content with the unique punishment for her assailant. "Everyone has bad days, but one should never be given justification to treat another individual poorly," she concluded.

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