UPDATE, August 13, 2008: Ryan Kropp Sentenced to Six Months, Probation__________________
Kevin Hansen: No steak for you.This story is hard to forget.
Back in February, Kevin Hansen ate at the Texas Roadhouse in West Bend. It didn't go well.When Kevin Hansen visited the local Texas Roadhouse restaurant for dinner with family and friends last Saturday, he was served more than the nationwide chain's promise of "legendary food."
Hansen showed up at the police station Sunday complaining of hair in his steak.
"I started eating it," he said in an interview. "I noticed the hair after three bites."
A West Bend police officer observed "several strands of what appeared to be hair coming out of the middle of the steak," a criminal complaint says.
Ryan Kropp, 24, of West Bend, one of the two cooks responsible for steaks at the restaurant Saturday night, admitted to police that he placed a few of his own facial hairs on the steak, the criminal complaint says.
Kropp said he was angry with the customer for sending a different steak back to the kitchen earlier in the evening after telling a manager it was overcooked.
Hansen was so traumatized by the event that he couldn't eat or sleep.
Yesterday, TMJ 4 aired an exclusive interview. Melissa McCrady talked with Hansen. The West Bend man who found hair in his steak at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in West Bend says he's been living a nightmare.
Kevin Hansen got more than he bargained for after his overcooked steak was sent back.
For the first time, he's talking with TODAY'S TMJ4 about the horrific experience.
Hansen ate the unthinkable: a steak stuffed with a man's body hair.
"I'm pretty disgusted. It's gross. I had about three bites of it and I noticed hair on my fork then I started looking at my steak and I'd seen a lot more and there was a slice in it and there was all kinds of hair in it," said Kevin Hansen.
It all started because the steak Hansen ordered from the West Bend Texas Roadhouse was overcooked. Hansen didn't want to return it but the manager insisted he get Hansen a new steak to go.
But, according to police, the cook, Ryan Kropp didn't like that idea and stuffed his hairs inside.
"I started gagging when I'd seen it," said Hansen. "I came real close to getting sick."
Kevin Hansen was sick for the first week. He insists he couldn't sleep and could hardly eat.
McCRADY: Kevin says the worst part is that he loves steak, but he hasn't been able to eat one since.
HANSEN: Right now, I don't even want to look at one or think about eating a steak.
This was a horrible incident and Kropp should be held accountable for his felonious behavior. It's criminal to tamper with a customer's food.
Hansen's plan to file a civil suit is reasonable.
That said, I think Hansen's claims are a bit dramatic. He has some serious issues. It sounds like he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or something.
At the time, I thought it was weird that Hansen's lawyer claimed Hansen couldn't eat. I understood why he'd have trouble stomaching any restaurant food, anything prepared outside his own home. However, I was surprised he couldn't eat food prepared at home by his wife or another family member. Wouldn't you think he could have made himself something to eat so he'd be confident that it wasn't tainted in any way?
And the worst part of his ordeal supposedly is that his love of steak has been stolen from him?
I don't know. That seems a bit much.
I don't get why Hansen would go on TV and talk about this nearly two months after it happened? Why do an interview now?
He seems to really want to stick it to Texas Roadhouse. The thing is Hansen is not hurting Kropp as much as he's potentially hurting business for the restaurant and thereby hurting the good employees working at the establishment. Hansen doesn't seem to care about the innocent victims that he's hurting because of Kropp's despicable and illegal actions.
Once this thing with Texas Roadhouse is settled, I predict Hansen's appetite will return and he'll use his settlement award to buy lots of expensive steaks.
UPDATE, August 13, 2008: Ryan Kropp Sentenced to Six Months, Probation__________________
Kevin Hansen is preparing to sue Texas Roadhouse. The lawyers are circling.
Ryan Kropp, a cook at the West Bend restaurant, tampered with Hansen's steak last Saturday.
Kropp is no angel. A public case search reveals that he has had a number of run-ins with the law -- disorderly conduct, bail-jumping, repeated charges of underage drinking, and possession of marijuana.
Now, he can add placing foreign objects in edibles to that list.
From TMJ4:The West Bend man who found hair in his steak is preparing to file a lawsuit against Texas Roadhouse restaurant. His lawyer says the man hasn’t been able to eat since the incident.
A restaurant cook is out of a job and facing a felony charge after being accused of hiding hairs in a ribeye because a customer complained the first steak served to him was overcooked.
Kevin Hansen, who dined at the steakhouse with friends and family Saturday, said he ordered a 16-ounce ribeye cooked medium rare, with a warm, red center, according to the criminal complaint filed against cook Ryan Kropp.
When restaurant service manager Michael Liberatore stopped by the table, Hansen told him the steak was cooked medium, not medium rare.
Hansen declined an offer of a new steak, but Liberatore persisted and offered a new steak he could take home, the complaint said.
Liberatore then took what was left of the first steak and showed it to Kropp and the other cook on duty "so that they could both learn what a medium rare steak was supposed to look like," the complaint said.
Hansen went to police Sunday to complain of hair in the second steak. A police officer observed "several strands of what appeared to be hair coming out of the middle of the steak," the complaint said.
Kropp, 24, of West Bend, was charged Wednesday with a felony of placing foreign objects in edibles, carrying up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a signature bond.
Kropp admitted to police he put a few of his facial hairs on the steak, saying he was angry the customer sent the other steak back and thought he was "just trying to get free stuff," according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, a second kitchen worker told police Kropp put a slit in the steak and pushed something inside, then stated, "These are my pubes," referring to pubic hair.
Travis Doster, a spokesman for the Texas Roadhouse chain of 288 restaurants in 44 states, said Thursday night that Kropp and the other worker were both terminated.
"Food safety is our number one priority and we will not allow anyone to compromise that," Doster said. "As a company, we're not only shocked, we're angry that someone would pull such a reckless stunt as putting facial hair in a steak.".
This is so disgusting.
Kropp's act has hurt a lot of people. Other staff at the West Bend Texas Roadhouse are innocent, yet they'll suffer the fall out from the incident and the lawsuit. He said the West Bend restaurant has an excellent inspection record. "I just feel for the staff because they really work hard, and one silly stupid stunt impacts everybody," he said.
I wouldn't call what Kropp did "silly" and "stupid."
This wasn't just a prank. It was a crime.
Because of what he did, Kropp has lost his job and he was charged with a felony. He could spend time in prison and pay a large fine for his "one silly stupid stunt," as spokesman Travis Doster calls it.
Texas Roadhouse will probably also end up paying, now that Hansen plans to sue.
A lawsuit will bring even more unfavorable press about the restaurant. This local situation could impact Texas Roadhouse restaurants across the nation. Weaker business means less hours for workers. They earn less. Wait staff certainly receive less in tips when there are fewer patrons. There's a ripple effect.
According to his lawyer, Hansen hasn't been able to eat since the incident.
Wow. That was a week ago. Hasn't he been able to eat at all? That's a really dramatic reaction. He should see a doctor and get something for anxiety. Some nice pills might help him relax so he can get some food down.
I can understand why he'd have trouble stomaching any restaurant food, anything prepared outside his own home. However, I'm surprised he can't eat food prepared at home by his wife or another family member. Maybe if he made himself something to eat he'd be confident that it wasn't tainted in any way.
I'm sure Texas Roadhouse and Hansen will reach some sort of out of court settlement. Kropp might cost the restaurant and its employees a lot of money.
Eventually, whatever this costs Texas Roadhouse will be picked up by the consumers. It always is. Way to go, Kropp.
Once this thing is settled, I predict Hansen's appetite will return. A sizable check does wonders to stimulate the appetite.
UPDATE, August 13, 2008: Ryan Kropp Sentenced to Six Months, Probation__________________
Ryan Kropp (Photo/WISN)
When Ryan Kropp, cook at the Texas Roadhouse in West Bend, took revenge on a customer, I'm sure he never expected his disgusting act to go national.
It did. I heard the story mentioned by national ABC News Radio.
Ryan Kropp, this is your fifteen minutes.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:When Kevin Hansen visited the local Texas Roadhouse restaurant for dinner with family and friends last Saturday, he was served more than the nationwide chain's promise of "legendary food."
Hansen showed up at the police station Sunday complaining of hair in his steak.
"I started eating it," he said in an interview. "I noticed the hair after three bites."
A West Bend police officer observed "several strands of what appeared to be hair coming out of the middle of the steak," a criminal complaint says.
Ryan Kropp, 24, of West Bend, one of the two cooks responsible for steaks at the restaurant Saturday night, admitted to police that he placed a few of his own facial hairs on the steak, the criminal complaint says.
Kropp said he was angry with the customer for sending a different steak back to the kitchen earlier in the evening after telling a manager it was overcooked.
Kropp was charged Wednesday with placing foreign objects in edibles, a felony. If convicted, Kropp could face a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 3 1/2 years of imprisonment. He was released from jail Wednesday afternoon on a signature bond.
Hansen said that he had asked for a 16-ounce ribeye to be cooked medium rare - with a warm, red center - but it showed up medium, the criminal complaint says.
When restaurant service manager Michael Liberatore stopped by Hansen's table, the customer said the steak was overcooked but declined Liberatore's offer of a new steak.
Liberatore was persistent, the complaint says, and offered to provide Hansen with a new steak he could take home.
The manager then took what was left of the original steak to the kitchen and showed it to Kropp and the other cook "so that they could both learn what a medium rare steak was supposed to look like," the complaint says.
Kropp told police only a small piece of the first steak was returned to him. Since most of it had been eaten, he thought the customer was "just trying to get free stuff," according to the criminal complaint.
A second worker in the kitchen told an officer that Kropp placed the second steak on a plate, cut a slit in the center of the steak and pushed something into the meat.
The worker said Kropp then stated, "These are my pubes," in reference to pubic hair. Kropp next flipped the steak over on the plate so that the cut side was not visible, the criminal complaint says.
What can you say? GROSS! GAG! BLECH! YUCK!
I think Texas Roadhouse may want to take a look at hiring procedures for cooks. Psychological testing may be in order.
Kropp is every restaurant patron's nightmare.
Hansen clearly was not being a problem. He didn't want another steak. The manager insisted.
In any event, no restaurant customer deserves the service or the product that Hansen received.
I wonder if this was the first time Kropp prepared a "loaded" steak.
Texas Roadhouse motto:
Legendary Food, Legendary Service®
It's legendary now. No doubt about that.
Kropp's behavior may have an impact on business at the Texas Roadhouse in West Bend. That would be terribly unfortunate. Obviously the service manager there was very concerned about customer satisfaction.
Since the story has gone national, this incident could impact business across the country. I doubt it would suffer significantly because the problem is the result of a lone employee run amok, an isolated incident.
I've eaten at Texas Roadhouse many times. I will again, but certainly not today or tomorrow. Probably not on Saturday either.
Kropp is every restaurant owner's nightmare.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to get back at a customer by stuffing a steak with hair.
