Food lovers in the District of Columbia might have heard about Lambert’s Cafe, a restaurant chain in Missouri that has become popular because it throws dinner rolls to its customers. Its owners call the cafes the Home of Throwed Rolls. While many customers enjoy this restaurant practice, one female customer filed a lawsuit against the chain on Aug. 11 after she said a roll struck her, causing permanent and serious injuries.
The woman said in the court filing that she went to the Lambert’s Cafe location in Sikeston on Sept. 20, 2014, and a rogue roll hit her. The incident caused severe damage to her eyes, vision, head and neck.
The lawsuit accused the restaurant of failing in its duty to protect patrons by promoting the dangerous practice of throwing dinner rolls at them. It also argued that the restaurant did not sufficiently train its workers how to avoid posing a hazard to customers.
In 2014, the general manager of the chain’s location in Ozark explained how throwing dinner rolls became a hallmark of the restaurant. The original cafe was very small and crowded for lunch one day. The owner was giving out rolls but could not get through all of the people, so one customer told him to throw the dinner roll instead.
The female customer said that she owes about $10,000 in medical expenses and could incur further expenses in the future. She was seeking a minimum of $25,000 from the restaurant chain.
Certain practices can become hallmarks of businesses, but the owners need to ensure that these practices do not cause personal injury to their patrons. Customers who are injured at a business location could seek a lawyer to help them file lawsuits to pursue financial damages.