An Ohio woman convicted of assault after throwing food at a Chipotle employee has been sentenced to two months of work at a fast food restaurant.
The unconventional sentence was suggested to 39-year-old Rosemary Hayne by Judge Timothy Gilligan in a bid to shorten her prison sentence.
Ms Hayne was initially expected to pay a fine and serve 180 days in prison, 90 of which were suspended.
Instead, the judge last week offered to reduce her sentence by 60 days if she took a temporary job at the fast food restaurant.
The defendant must therefore work 20 hours a week for 60 days in a fast food restaurant.
Burrito bowl thrown in the face
On September 5, Rosemary Hayne was filmed by a customer at a Chipotle in Parma, Ohio, arguing with the manager, 26-year-old Emily Russell.
The now-viral video was posted on Reddit under the name “Public Freakout.”
Ms. Russell told The New York Times that although she prepared and then re-placed the customer's order, she was still dissatisfied.
The situation then became more heated. In front of a line of customers, Ms Hayne shouts at the manager, who, after trying to calm the situation, wishes her a “good day”.
Then Mrs. Hayne throws her burrito bowl in Mrs. Russell's face.
The customers were visibly shocked. A woman also followed Ms Hayne and tried to grab her as she left the scene.
“Why did you do that?” she asked. Another customer called the police as Ms Hayne left the premises.
Judge Gilligan minced no words in sentencing the defendant.
“You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you liked it and this is how you react? This behavior is unacceptable,” he reprimanded her.
The judge considered that Ms Hayne had entered the restaurant with the full intention of having a fight, which the defendant denied.
In court, Ms Hayne apologized but then defended herself saying she had become aggressive because the food she had ordered was “disgusting”.
“I bet you won’t be happy with the food you’re going to get in prison,” Judge Gulligan replied flatly.
Traumatized victim
During the trial, Ms. Russell said her face was burned by the hot burrito bowl.
She said the incident traumatized her and forced her to leave her job at Chipotle, partly because she no longer felt supported by the company afterward.
She now works for the American chicken restaurant chain Raising Cane's.
Ms Russell believes Mr Hayne's sentence was fair.