WEST BEND, Wis.(AP) A restaurant cook is out of a job and facing a felony charge after being accused of hiding hairs in a ribeye because a customer complained the first steak served to him was overcooked.Kevin Hansen, who dined at the steakhouse with friends and family Saturday, said he ordered a 16-ounce ribeye cooked medium rare, with a warm, red center, according to the criminal complaint filed against cook Ryan Kropp.When restaurant service manager Michael Liberatore stopped by the table, Hansen told him the steak was cooked medium, not medium rare.Hansen declined an offer of a new steak, but Liberatore persisted and offered a new steak he could take home, the complaint said.Liberatore then took what was left of the first steak and showed it to Kropp and the other cook on duty so that they could both learn what a medium rare steak was supposed to look like, the complaint said.Hansen went to police Sunday to complain of hair in the second steak. A police officer observed several strands of what appeared to be hair coming out of the middle of the steak, the complaint said.Kropp, 24, of West Bend, was charged Wednesday with a felony of placing foreign objects in edibles, carrying up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a signature bond.Kropp admitted to police he put a few of his facial hairs on the steak, saying he was angry the customer sent the other steak back and thought he was just trying to get free stuff, according to the complaint.
