(NewsSpace.com) – When one goes to a restaurant, they expect that the food they consume is handled safely in the kitchen before it reaches them. Sometimes, however, there are some horrifying tales of things making it into dishes that shouldn’t be there. A Michigan man recently sued a popular restaurant chain for this very reason.
The lawsuit alleges that on March 11, 54-year-old Thomas Howie went to Olive Garden with some friends for dinner. He ordered a bowl of minestrone soup and started eating, when something allegedly stabbed him in the mouth. He says that when he tried to swallow, he realized the object was stuck to the side of his cheek. When Howie spit the object out, he realized it was a hairy rat’s leg with a claw attached. He then vomited.
Howie then called the restaurant manager to the table and pointed out what was in his food. Another employee said the company doesn’t “even put meat in minestrone.” Howie also called the police, who reportedly gagged when they saw the leg as well, he said in a statement to CBS News Detroit.
The man said he later went to urgent care, where he received some antibiotic mouth rinse and a tetanus shot. Howie also suffered from anxiety after and had difficulty eating meat. He filed a lawsuit against the restaurant and is seeking $25,000 in damages.
Olive Garden disputes the claim, saying that just looking at the picture, it doesn’t appear that the rat leg was cooked or had taken on the color of the soup. They have requested to see the foot in order to carry out analysis, but Howie and his attorneys have refused, saying they will make it available during the discovery process.
In the meantime, Howie’s attorney, Daniel Gwinn, has tried to work out a settlement with Olive Garden but has been unsuccessful. He says his client is also upset at the restaurant’s response.
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