A woman arrested after saying she found a finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chilli appeared in court on Monday in a case that has cost the third largest US hamburger chain millions in lost sales, the Reuters news agency reported.
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Anna Ayala, dressed in standard-issue prison garb, did not enter a plea in the unusual case before a Santa Clara county court. She mouthed “I love you” to family members and supporters in the back of the courtroom, two of whom wore T-shirts reading “Free Anna Ayala.”
Ayala, who is from Nevada, was charged with attempted grand theft because Wendy’s International Inc. lost revenue as a result of the publicity from the incident at one of their San Jose branches.
Last month Wendy’s said its first-quarter profit dipped, partially because of the finger incident, which they estimate resulted in about $2.5m in lost business.
Police believe Ayala put the finger in her food, although they are still investigating the origin of the digit. Ayala has said she did not plant the finger.
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By GlobalDataThe judge set an 18 May hearing in the case to review whether to lower Ayala’s $500,000 bail.
