Woman Sues Outback Steakhouse After Slipping on Mashed Potatoes
A woman in Virginia is seeking $1.5 million from the popular Australian-themed steakhouse chain, Outback Steakhouse, after a fall in one of its restaurants left her with “serious and permanent injuries.” The incident, which occurred in May 2023, has led to a federal lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of the restaurant.
Tracy J. Renshaw, a 56-year-old woman, claims that while making her way to the restroom at an Outback Steakhouse in Sterling, Virginia, she slipped on a pile of mashed potatoes on the floor. The unexpected fall resulted in her landing face-first on the hard flooring, leading to significant and lasting harm.
According to the lawsuit, the presence of the mashed potatoes constituted “an unreasonably dangerous condition for visitors,” and crucially, “no warning had been posted of the presence of the slippery foreign substance on the floor.” Ms. Renshaw’s complaint asserts that Outback breached its “duty of ordinary care” to maintain a safe dining environment for its patrons.
The legal filing details that as a result of the fall, the Loudoun County resident has endured “great pain of body and mind,” experienced a “diminished working and earning capacity,” and has incurred, and will continue to incur, substantial medical expenses for her treatment.
A Pattern of Incidents? Outback Steakhouse’s Legal History
This is not the first time Outback Steakhouse has faced legal action from customers alleging injuries sustained on their premises. The chain, which boasts over 1,000 locations across 23 countries, has been involved in several notable lawsuits in recent years:
- Florida Toilet Incident: In December of the previous year, a Florida man initiated a lawsuit after a toilet at an Outback in Ocala allegedly “shattered” while he was using it. This incident reportedly resulted in “significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function and/or permanent and significant scarring.”
- South Carolina Bristle Case: In 2021, a woman from South Carolina was awarded $315,000 in damages. She had ingested a one-inch metal bristle that was found embedded in a chicken dish at an Outback Steakhouse in Florence County. Reports indicated that the bristle likely originated from a wire brush used for cleaning the grill, and the woman required emergency surgery to have it removed from her esophagus.
- South Carolina Glass Shard Incident: Three years prior to the bristle case, another patron in South Carolina sued after swallowing a shard of broken glass. The glass was discovered inside a sweet potato. The restaurant’s manager reportedly suggested that the glass likely came from one of the jars used in the kitchen for storing brown sugar.
- Oregon Broken Plate Case: In 2018, a man from Oregon filed a lawsuit against Outback after he cracked two of his molars on pieces of a broken plate that had inadvertently been mixed into his food.
The Sterling, Virginia Incident: Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by Tracy J. Renshaw details the events of May 14, 2023. Ms. Renshaw and her family were dining at the Outback Steakhouse in Sterling, Virginia, when she rose from her table to use the facilities.
“On her way to the restroom, she stepped on a slippery foreign substance, which appeared to be mashed potatoes, that were on the floor in the restaurant,” the complaint states. “The slippery foreign substance on the floor caused Ms. Renshaw to fall face forward onto the hard restaurant floor.”
The complaint further alleges that Outback was negligent in allowing the mashed potatoes to “remain on the floor” and failed to remove them “within a reasonable amount of time.” It emphasizes that the restaurant had a duty to keep its premises free from hazards and to warn guests of any unsafe conditions, known or that should have been known, particularly in areas patrons were attempting to traverse, such as the path to the restrooms.
While the complaint does not provide exhaustive details about the specific nature of Ms. Renshaw’s injuries, it does invoke the legal doctrine of respondeat superior. This principle holds employers liable for the wrongful acts of their employees.
In their response to the lawsuit, filed on May 19, Outback Steakhouse denied the allegations, stating that more information was needed. The company also contended that it had “no duty to post any warning” regarding the mashed potatoes, had “no notice of any allegedly defective condition” at the restaurant, and disputed the extent of Ms. Renshaw’s alleged injuries and damages.
Notably, the Outback Steakhouse location in Sterling, Virginia, where the incident occurred, has since permanently closed. Ms. Renshaw is reportedly demanding a jury trial to adjudicate her case.
A spokesperson for Outback and the attorney representing the company in this matter did not respond to requests for comment.
