Why restaurants should be careful about throwing food

When you think about the diners and eateries featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives,” there are many quirky restaurants featured; but the common theme with all of these restaurants is that they have great food, great service and great stories about how they were founded.

One diner in the Ozark region of Missouri has a unique tradition of tossing rolls to its customers. The tradition at Lambert’s Café began when an overwhelmed owner could not reach everyone in the café with his trademark rolls. One customer said “hey, throw it to me,” and a tradition was born.

Lambert’s Café even began to be known as the “Home of the Throwed Rolls.” However, this moniker may change after a customer was injured by a thrown roll.

According to a recent USA Today.com report, a woman was injured when a hot roll was thrown at her. It is unknown whether she was expecting the roll, but she was hit in the eye. She reportedly suffered a lacerated cornea which caused her vision to be damaged.

As a matter of law, restaurants have a duty to use reasonable care in keeping their patrons safe from harm. This could be keeping restaurant goers safe from hot soup being spilled on them, making sure customers understand how hot some plates may be when served and, in this case, avoiding food based projectiles.

If a restaurant fails to use such care in protecting its customers, and a person is injured in New York, the restaurant could be held liable.