Beyond Meat Suspends COO Following Nose Bite Attack

Alternative protein company Beyond Meat suspended COO Doug Ramsey after the executive was arrested last weekend for allegedly biting another man’s nose.

Ramsey’s suspension is effective immediately, Beyond Meat said in a statement posted to its website and filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission yesterday. The company did not provide further details as to the future status of Ramsey’s employment but said that Jonathan Nelson, SVP of manufacturing operations, will oversee operation activities on an interim basis.

Ramsey was arrested on Saturday at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas following the University of Arkansas football game. The Washington County Sheriff’s Detention Intake Report states that Ramsey was charged with terroristic threatening and third-degree battery. The battery charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in county jail; terroristic threatening carries the potential of a felony charge, which could carry more significant jail time. After being booked late Saturday night, Ramsey was released Sunday morning on a $11,085 bond with a court date set for October.

According to a preliminary police report cited by NPR, Ramsey became enraged after another car cut in front of him and made contact with his vehicle. Ramsey punched through the offending vehicle’s windshield, then continued physically attacking and threatening the driver after he had exited the car.

Before onlookers could separate the two individuals, Ramsey also bit the tip of the driver’s nose, the police report said, breaking the skin.

Prior to joining Beyond Meat, Ramsey spent 30 years working for meat producer Tyson Foods where he ultimately oversaw retail poultry operations. Ramsey was also president of the chicken producer’s global McDonald’s business for roughly two and a half years. He joined Beyond Meat in December 2021 just as the alt-protein company began testing its own “McPlant” burger in eight of the fast food giant’s locations. After expanding the offering to 600 stores in early February, McDonald’s ultimately ended the test earlier this summer leaving the fate of a wider rollout uncertain.

A December SEC filing by Beyond Meat regarding his hiring noted that Ramsey would be based out of Beyond Meat’s Columbia, Missouri facility and would make “regular trips” to the company’s headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Ramsey’s LinkedIn profile lists his current location as Fayetteville — it’s unclear if he had ultimately relocated to Missouri.

The COO’s starting annual base salary was $475,000, the filing states, with the opportunity to receive up to double that amount with performance-based bonuses. The hiring agreement also included a sign-on cash bonus of $450,000, of which Ramsay is responsible for repaying on a pro-rated basis if his employment is terminated within one year of his start date. Ramsay is also eligible for another sign-on cash bonus of $275,000 following the second anniversary of his hiring, as well as millions of dollars in potential stock options that vest over a four year period of employment.