LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wendy's International Inc. on Friday doubled to $100,000 the reward it is offering for information on the origin of a human finger found last month in a bowl of chili at one of its restaurants.
AP Photo
AP Photo Slideshow: Diner Claims Finger Found In Chili
In a statement, Wendy's President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Mueller said the company's franchisees and employees have "done nothing wrong, yet they are paying a severe price with sales down significantly" in the San Jose, California, area where the incident occurred.
Some of the franchisees have laid off workers or reduced workers' hours, the company said.
"Our brand reputation has been affected nationally," Mueller added. "We are determined to find out what really happened in this incident."
Wendy's has said repeatedly that its own investigation into the matter found no evidence of any finger or hand accidents among any of its workers or suppliers. The workers also passed lie detector tests, the company said on Friday.
Anna Ayala, the woman who said last month she found a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili, is no longer pursuing a legal claim against Wendy's, the company said, citing media reports. She is also no longer being represented by San Jose personal injury attorney Jeffrey Janoff, who had been handling her case, his office said on Friday.
Ayala could not immediately be reached for comment.
Media reports last week said Ayala's home in Las Vegas was searched by the police as part of the investigation into the incident. San Jose police officials said a search warrant had indeed been issued but declined to give further details on either the location or outcome of the search.
