Restaurants are a minefield of personal injury liability claims, especially Japanese Hibachi Grills which have open grills in front of customers. In the United States, these Hibachi restaurants (or Teppanyaki grills) are extremely popular in large cities. It offers a dining experience that is different to a normal sit down meal. Chefs perform tricks while they are grilling the food, flipping food into the bowls of guests and stacking the ingredients in artistic ways.
Fox News reported, “A shrimp a hibachi chef tossed at a man eating at a Japanese steakhouse ultimately led to the diner’s death, his family claims in a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant chain Benihana.”
Tori Spelling visited a Hibachi restaurant in Encino with her family around Easter when the actress slipped and fell upon one of the grills, landing on her forearm. Spelling suffered deep second and third-degree burns to her arm, which required skin grafts and hospitalization. She suffered a large scar to her right arm and filed a premise and negligence lawsuit against the Benihana chain.
The actress is suing Benihana for the full cost of her medical bills, which total $25,000. With the heat of the Hibachi grills and the severity of her burns, Benihana is extremely lucky that she is claiming such a low amount of compensation. We expect to see additional safety features being installed in Benihana and other Hibachi grills around the country as a result of this case. With such a high profile plaintiff, the case may not reach a trial. It is safe to say that Tori Spelling is not the first customer to suffer burns in a Hibachi restaurant, but this is definitely the most high profile premises liability case.
If you were injured at a Habachi restaurant, please contact our persona injury lawyer for a free consultation.