Suburban Chicago Diner Scarred by Scalding Lasagna Sauce Sues Restaurant

A suburban Chicago woman is seeking more than $50,000 in damages from a restaurant that she alleges served her lasagna layered with “piping hot” marinara sauce that severely burned her hand. The incident happened on December 7 at Osteria Ottimo Ristorante in south suburban Orland Park. The personal injury lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Cook County circuit court, argues that restaurant staff was negligent in serving hot food and failed to allow the lasagna to cool.

The plaintiff claims to have a huge scalding burn on her left hand. The sauce squirted from the lasagna on to her left hand as her right hand cut into the lasagna with a fork, according to the Tribune. The restaurant failed to train staff to serve food at the proper temperature and workers neglected to warn the customers, according to the lawsuit. The woman alleges that the burns have caused her to miss work as well as the familiar “great physical pain and mental anguish.”

As the Trib pointed, this isn’t the first time a customer has sued a restaurant over the temperature of what was served. The most famous instance could be a 1992 case when a court ruled against McDonald’s. An Albuquerque, New Mexico location served hot coffee to a 79-year-old woman in a drive-thru. The victim proceeded to spill the drink in her lap. She was awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages initially, but agreed to a settlement with McDonald’s over its “reckless, callous, and willful” conduct.

Osteria Ottimo is a 10-year-old restaurant owned by Patrick Concannon. He was the consulting chef on Platiyo, a Lakeview Mexican restaurant owned by Scott Harris of Mia Francesca fame. Platiyo closed in 2008 after a three-year run. His family also owned Don Juan in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood.

• Lawsuit: ‘Piping hot’ sauce squirted from lasagna at Orland restaurant, severely burned diner’s hand [Daily Southtown]
• The McDonalds’ Coffee Case [Huffington Post]