An Ohio woman convicted of assault after throwing food at a Chipotle employee has been sentenced to work at a fast-food restaurant for two months.
This unconventional sentence was proposed to Rosemary Hayne, 39, by Judge Timothy Gilligan to reduce her prison term.
Ms Hayne was initially expected to pay a fine and serve 180 days in prison, 90 of which were suspended.
The judge instead offered last week to reduce her 60-day prison sentence if she accepted a temporary job in fast food.
The accused will thus have to work 20 hours per week in a fast food restaurant for 60 days.
Burrito bowl thrown in the face
On September 5, Rosemary Hayne was filmed by a customer inside a Chipotle in Parma, Ohio, while arguing with the manager, 26-year-old Emily Russell.
The video, which has since gone viral, was posted to Reddit under the name “Public Freakout.”
Ms. Russell explained to the New York Times that she had prepared and then remade the customer’s order, but she still remained dissatisfied.
The situation then got heated. In front of a line of customers, Ms. Hayne shouts at the manager, who after trying to calm things down, wishes her a “good day”.
Mrs. Hayne then throws her burrito bowl in Mrs. Russell’s face.
Customers were clearly shocked. A woman also followed Ms Hayne and tried to detain her as she left the scene.
“Why did you do that?” she asked. Another customer called the police as Ms Hayne left the premises.
Judge Gilligan did not mince his words when sentencing the accused.
“You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you liked it, and this is how you react? This behavior is not acceptable,” he reprimanded her.
The judge was of the opinion that Ms. Hayne had entered the restaurant with the firm intention of quarreling, which the accused, however, denied.
In court, Ms Hayne apologized, but then defended herself by arguing that she had become aggressive because the food she had ordered was “disgusting”.
“I bet you won’t be satisfied with the food you’ll have in prison,” Judge Gulligan retorted flatly.
Traumatized victim
During court proceedings, Ms Russell said her face was burned by the hot burrito bowl.
She said the incident traumatized her and forced her to leave her job at Chipotle, in part because she didn’t feel supported by the company afterward.
She now works for the American chicken restaurant chain Raising Cane’s.
Ms Russell believes Mr Hayne’s sentence is fair.
