# Wendy's gives a woman the finger! In their chili! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029 "2005-03-24T13:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/61 "2005-03-25T05:15:30Z")
Will the authorities ever finger the culprit? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/62 "2005-03-25T12:50:08Z")
Boy, all the other fast food joints sell countless _chicken_ fingers, but you sell one \*human[i/] finger… Sheesh, hypocrates. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/63 "2005-03-25T12:57:12Z")
> [@GawnFishin'](#): > > Oh come now, it’s the natural gag reflex that comes from sticking a finger down your throat. 😃 Hey, I was going to say that! _gives **GawnFishin’** the finger_ ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/64 "2005-03-25T20:47:26Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Will the authorities ever finger the culprit? I hope not. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/65 "2005-03-25T21:41:56Z")
> [@GawnFishin'](#): > > Oh come now, it’s the natural gag reflex that comes from sticking a finger down your throat. 😃 Oooooh bad, that was bad, bad, bad! Mad props! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/66 "2005-03-26T00:01:11Z")
My coworker had an interesting theory that it probably belongs to an illegal worker who couldn’t report the accident as on the job for fear of reprisal. They probably went to the hospital and reported it as some other kind of accident, thus never alerting the authorities to a finger-licious batch of whatever at the XYZ plant. Why the place of hire wouldn’t toss the batch is still a question. But this explanation makes the most sense to me of any speculation I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/67 "2005-03-26T01:01:22Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > Hey, I was going to say that! _gives **GawnFishin’** the finger_ Would that be with, or without chilli? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/68 "2005-03-28T05:59:13Z")
I manage a restaurant. In San Jose. The morning after this, I had a very hard time not putting the following on my specials board. Soup of the Day, Chili, no fingers. I didn’t think that upper management would find it nearly as funny as I do. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/69 "2005-04-09T00:47:39Z")
[Woman claiming finger in chili has litigious history](http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/wendy.finger.ap/index.html) > [@](#): > > LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) – The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy’s restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits – including a claim against another fast-food restaurant. > > \ > > Wendy’s spokesman Bob Bertini would not comment on the investigation Friday. > > The company, however, maintains that the finger did not enter the food chain in its ingredients. The employees at the San Jose store were found to have all their fingers, and no suppliers of Wendy’s ingredients have reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said. > > On Thursday, Wendy’s offered a $50,000 reward to anyone providing verifiable information leading to the positive identification of the origin of the finger. > > Investigators would not say what they were looking for in the search of Ayala’s house. Ken Bono, a family friend who lives at the home, said officers searched freezers, a picnic cooler in the back yard and the belongings of an aunt who used to live at the house. > > San Jose police dismissed rumors that the finger might have belonged to Ayala’s late aunt. However, investigators said they were still looking into the possibility that the missing finger was the result of an industrial accident or foul play. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/70 "2005-04-09T07:49:37Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > San Jose police dismissed rumors that the finger might have belonged to Ayala’s late aunt. However, investigators said they were still looking into the possibility that the missing finger was the result of an industrial accident or foul play. Interesting. On the radio news today, they said authorities _were_ investigating the possibility of the finger coming from the dead aunt. Reminds me of that old joke: What does the Pink Panther say when he sees a dead ant? Dead ant, dead ant…dead ant…dead ant dead ant dead ant…(sung as Pink Panther theme song) ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/71 "2005-04-09T08:09:42Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Costumer: Waiter!, menu please… mumble mumble… Oh, it all looks so tasty I would like to try a bit of everything. > > Waiter: One order of chilli right away, sir! Well, I laughed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/72 "2005-04-09T08:32:23Z")
In my home town, a Red Robin restaurant served a salad with the tip of a severed thumb. The preparer sliced it off, and it ended up in the salad, but after the commotion in the kitchen, someone who didn’t know that the salad was prepared by the thumb slicer grabbed it and served it. Uck… Found one of the many news pieces done on it after it happened: [http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2899096/detail.html?treets=det&tid=2651825471813&tml=det\_12pm&tmi=det\_12pm\_3043\_10500003052004&ts=H](http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2899096/detail.html?treets=det&tid=2651825471813&tml=det_12pm&tmi=det_12pm_3043_10500003052004&ts=H) ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/73 "2005-04-09T13:55:03Z")
I’m going with the “She planted it.” theory. And I say this despite the fact that I, to this day, refuse to eat pork 'n beans because my great grandmother once found a human finger in a can of same. This was, alas, before the days where you could find a finger in your food and become an instant millionaire. Now, if the lady DID plant the finger, it would definitely leave her open to be sued not only by Wendy’s, but by the people dining with her that day. Not only did they have to endure the thought that they had just consumed appendage-riddled food, but then she vomited. Man, talk about an unsatisfying dining experience. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/74 "2005-04-09T14:18:59Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > No offense to you, **DDG** , but if that were the case, where on earth would she find a human finger? :eek: Oh, i can get you a finger. give me 3 hours. with nail polish, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/75 "2005-04-09T15:09:53Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > My coworker had an interesting theory that it probably belongs to an illegal worker who couldn’t report the accident as on the job for fear of reprisal. They probably went to the hospital and reported it as some other kind of accident, thus never alerting the authorities to a finger-licious batch of whatever at the **XYZ plant**. Why the place of hire wouldn’t toss the batch is still a question. But this explanation makes the most sense to me of any speculation I’ve heard. As has already been pointed out, the meat in Wendy’s chili comes from hamburgers that are cooked on-site, in the store. The practical reason for this is that it is safer to store this way since they don’t have to worry about storing the chili in the freezer and thawing it when needed (always a tricky proposition when you’re subject to health department standards). They would have to have found a four-fingered employee, in order for the finger to have come from Wendy’s. There is a tiny possibility that the finger was in the dehydrated mix, but I would think that a honking chunk of flesh would have been pretty evident in a pouch of powdered mix. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/76 "2005-04-09T15:14:39Z")
If you’re crazy and have a power saw, it’s [easy to get some digits](http://www-cgi.cnn.com/US/9803/09/briefs.pm/rudolph.amputation/). ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/77 "2005-04-09T15:35:29Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > In my home town, a Red Robin restaurant served a salad with the tip of a severed thumb. The preparer sliced it off, and it ended up in the salad, but after the commotion in the kitchen, someone who didn’t know that the salad was prepared by the thumb slicer grabbed it and served it. Uck… Found one of the many news pieces done on it after it happened: > [http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2899096/detail.html?treets=det&tid=2651825471813&tml=det\_12pm&tmi=det\_12pm\_3043\_10500003052004&ts=H](http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2899096/detail.html?treets=det&tid=2651825471813&tml=det_12pm&tmi=det_12pm_3043_10500003052004&ts=H) HA! I live in that town, and that’s the Red Robin that we go to at least once a month. We LOVE Red Robin. After it happened, for about two months, we had no problems getting a table. It was great! And they had reduced prices, too - originally it was a part of their 35th Anniversary celebration, but they kept the prices for awhile to get more people in. As my husband always says, it’s probably the cleanest restaurant in Stark County right now. We’re probably better off eating there than at any other restaurant in town. E. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/78 "2005-04-09T19:33:31Z")
[This just in!](http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050409/D89BJV380.html) > [@](#): > > LAS VEGAS (AP) - The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy’s restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits - including a claim against another fast-food restaurant. > [@](#): > > San Jose police have joined the Las Vegas police fraud unit in the investigation into how a 1 1/2-inch-long fingertip ended up in Ayala’s bowl of chili at the San Jose Wendy’s on March 22. Ayala said Friday she had not yet filed a claim against Wendy’s, and it was unclear whether she had filed suit against the franchise owner > [@](#): > > Investigators would not say what they were looking for in the search of Ayala’s house. Ken Bono, a family friend who lives at the home, said officers searched freezers, a picnic cooler in the backyard and the belongings of an aunt who used to live at the house. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/79 "2005-04-09T20:39:23Z")
> [@Elza B](#): > > HA! I live in that town, and that’s the Red Robin that we go to at least once a month. We LOVE Red Robin. I too have eaten there…small world. I for one have had no problems at all with it. Now, do you live in the general Canton area, or in Jackson Twp? I haven’t lived there in almost a decade, but my parents and sister still live there, and I graduated from Jackson in '96. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029/80 "2005-04-10T00:26:27Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Yeah, but what are the odds of lightning striking twice in the same place? That Wendy’s is probably your best bet from now on if you want to enjoy finger-free food fun. Gambler’s fallacy. :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-gives-a-woman-the-finger-in-their-chili/296029.md?page=5)