Fingertip in Applebee's salad

[Tuolumne]

Keep in mind that they said the "tip" of the finger, which usually means just a fleshy bit off the end. I've seen (remember I deal in workers' comp claims) people bandage that and keep right on going. While painful I'm sure, (!) it's not as drastic as losing an actual bony part of the finger.

That being said, I have no idea if this actually happened or not and can't really get too worked up about it at the moment. It's hard to get all riled up about something after cleaning house after a full day at work.

 

[clayt101]

I haven't seen this in the national news, but the local media is reporting that Applebee's admits that the finger is legit:


Applebee's says it may have found source of fingertip in salad

09:09 PM CDT on Sunday, July 3, 2005


By DAVID TWIDDY
Associated Press



KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former worker at an Applebee's restaurant in Jefferson, La., cut the tip off his thumb a year ago -- and that probably was the fingertip found by a customer now suing the chain, according to Applebee's International Inc.

In a statement released Saturday, the company apologized to May Deal Chambers Johnson of Jefferson Parish, who sued the chain June 24, claiming she found a fingertip in a to-go salad bought at the restaurant a year ago.

"While some facts are still unclear, we now believe a former employee at this restaurant accidentally cut the very tip of his thumb last year," said the company, based in Overland Park, Kan. It said the man described the cut as "roughly the size of a sunflower seed."

"We deeply regret this isolated incident from last year," the statement said. "Food safety remains our top priority."

Johnson's attorney, Michael Darnell of New Orleans, said Sunday that he hadn't seen the statement or spoken with Applebee's officials since filing the lawsuit.

But he said the statement made him question whether Applebee's and other chain restaurants are doing enough to make sure tainted food doesn't get served to customers.

"These things will happen in a kitchen environment but the good establishments make sure the proper precautions are taken," he said, adding that health department officials should have been notified as soon as the restaurant management found out about it.

"It seems to me that Applebee's is trying to distance itself from what happened with one of its franchises."

A spokeswoman for Applebee's didn't immediately return a phone call for comment.

A similar claim against Wendy's International Inc. turned out to be a hoax. A woman told police in March that she had found a fingertip in a bowl of chili at a Wendy's in San Jose, Calif.

Police charged her with conspiracy to commit fraud and grand theft.