Outback Steakhouse sued for $1.5 million over alleged mashed potato slip-and-fall

A Virginia woman who says she slipped and fell on mashed potatoes at an Outback Steakhouse is suing the restaurant chain for $1.5 million.

Tracy Renshaw, 56, alleges she experienced serious and lasting injuries from the incident, which took place at a Sterling, Virginia, location in May 2023. Her lawsuit, which moved to federal court last month after earlier filing in Loudoun County Circuit Court, claims the restaurant chain is at fault because it failed to maintain a safe environment for its customers.

Renshaw alleges she was on her way to use the restroom when she stepped on a slippery substance, which the lawsuit says appeared to be mashed potatoes, causing her to fall and land face-first on the restaurant’s hard floor. 

Outback Steakhouse did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

She claims the restaurant failed to warn customers about the fall hazard and that the spilled food remained on the floor for too long, creating “unreasonably dangerous” conditions for diners. 

The chain “breached their duties of care and were negligent in that they allowed a slippery foreign substance to remain on the floor, failed to remove the foreign substance within a reasonable amount of time” and failed to warn customers about the spill, the lawsuit alleges.

Renshaw claims she has experienced significant pain and medical costs, and that injuries related to the accident have reduced her ability to work.