Restaurant keeps serving after woman dies in bathroom

LARGO, Md. (WUSA) - A Maryland restaurant owner is apologizing after staff kept the business open and serving customers for hours after a woman died in the restroom.

Fredric Rosenthal, the owner of Jasper’s Restaurant in Largo, Maryland, is pleading for forgiveness from the community after the Oct. 12 incident.

“We were devastated by the events that took place at the restaurant,” he said. “One of the members of our staff performed CPR waiting for the emergency squad to arrive.”

Verna Winn, 73, had been having a late lunch with her husband and friends. She went to the restroom after they were done and apparently suffered a fatal heart attack.

The restaurant kept serving as medics and police arrived, welcoming customers right through dinner. Meanwhile, Verna Winn’s body lay in the closed-off bathroom, and her family waited for workers from the funeral home.

“Hindsight being 2020, we blew it. We probably should have closed the bar immediately, gone around to the tables and given people two options: finish eating your dinner, and if you prefer not to, we’ll pick up the check for your meal,” Rosenthal said.

Craig Winn, Verna’s husband, says that Rosenthal profusely apologized to him. He is urging people not to boycott the restaurant, as at least one previous customer suggested on Twitter.

“A little over 20 to 25% of our business dropped off. We’re local folks. We are aggressively trying to do the right thing, but somehow, good news doesn’t travel fast, only bad news,” Rosenthal said.

Craig Winn hopes that Rosenthal fulfills his promise to make the restaurant an industry leader in dealing with these kinds of tragedies. He also says having all the staff trained in CPR would be a lasting legacy to Verna, the woman he says was his best friend, soulmate and life partner.

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