Television chef Gordon Ramsay is known for having a sharp tongue, but what about sharp items in his food?
According to the New York Daily News, German chef, Markus Barthel, claims to have cut his tongue while eating at Ramsay's Midtown Manhattan restaurant, The London. The tourist filed a lawsuit stating that he reportedly bit into a sharp object placed between the buns.
The incident reportedly permanently damaged his mouth and ruined his sense of taste. The chef from Ohrdruf, Germany claims to have needed surgery. Barthel also claims that he is no longer able to work after his sense of taste was affected.
According to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday, Barthel ordered the burger while on vacation in March on what he called the "trip of a lifetime.".
"The doctor said tongues are difficult to heal because people have to eat and they keep re-injuring themselves," said Barthel's lawyer, Florian Bruno.
Bruno said the injury is impacting Barthel's ability to taste, which has affected his job performance. This, in turn, caused him to be out of work for several weeks. Barthel was reportedly demoted to making sandwiches and is unable to find a job as a chef.
"A chef needs his tongue like a pianist needs his fingers. They have to taste everything, and he says there continues to be a loss of taste in his tongue," Bruno said and added that the "Hell's Kitchen," host needed to pay more attention to the neglectful staff in his eatery.
"It shouldn't happen in such a fancy, high-end restaurant in New York," Bruno said.
Bruno told the Daily News that a staff member at Ramsay's restaurant "snatched" up the sharp object in order to hide the evidence.
