A pregnant California woman has filed a claim against an Applebee’s restaurant in Paso Robles after she claims she found a bloody fingertip in her salad.
Cathleen Martin said that she and her husband and child had all eaten from the dish before they discovered the fingertip.
“It was so gross,” Martin said, adding, “I’m on pins and needles worrying about what my family might have been exposed to.”
According to attorney Eric Traut of Santa Ana, the Applebee’s location confirmed that the fingertip belonged to a cook who had injured himself while making the salad. While the restaurant could not require the cook to undergo medical testing, he has voluntarily agreed to do so.
A statement from the Applebee’s area director offered sincere apologies to Martin and her family.
“We take matters involving the health and safety of our guests and team members seriously,” the statement said. “Accordingly, we immediately investigated and determined that an accident did occur in our kitchen. We discussed the matter with the Martins while still at our restaurant, shared our sincere apologies, and have continued to speak with Mrs Martin in an effort to address her concerns. Additionally, the team member involved volunteered to undergo screening in an effort to provide the peace of mind Mrs Martin seeks. Further, we are retraining our team members on our safety protocols and will take any necessary actions to prevent anything like this from occurring again.”