WARREN, Mich. – An Oakland County man is suing a popular restaurant chain after he says he felt a sharp pain while eating soup and spit out a severed rat’s foot.
The lawsuit stems from when Thomas Howie, of Madison Heights, went out to eat with two friends on March 11 at the Olive Garden restaurant at 30600 Van Dyke Avenue in Warren.
Howie said he was eating minestrone soup while talking to his friends and not really looking at the food. He felt something sharp stab his cheek and quickly spat out whatever was in his mouth, according to the lawsuit.
When he looked into his napkin, he realized it had been a fur-covered, clawed rat’s foot that stabbed him, the lawsuit says.
“It was so gross and disgusting I couldn’t control myself,” Howie said. “My stomach just heaved. I threw up right in the restaurant. I was mortified. Until this happened, this was my favorite restaurant. I still can’t believe it.”
The trio told Olive Garden management what had happened, and one employee said, “That’s funny, we don’t put meat in minestrone,” according to the lawsuit.
Howie called Warren police, who arrived at the restaurant. When he showed them the rat’s foot, the officers were also gagging, he said.
The Warren Police Department report says the rat’s foot inside the napkin “appeared to be chewed.”
Howie went to urgent care that night and received a tetanus shot. He was also prescribed antibiotics for the cut on his cheek, the lawsuit says. The physician identified the object in the napkin as a rat’s leg, according to the lawsuit.
Howie said in the days after March 11, he struggled to sleep and eat, felt nauseous, vomited, had diarrhea, and became depressed. He said he has trouble eating meat and trusting food served by others.
Howie has since suffered a stroke and requires ongoing medical care, he said.
The lawsuit was filed Friday, Aug. 18. Howie is seeking damages of more than $75,000.
“We tried to work this out and avoid litigation, but Olive Garden refuses to acknowledge the serious nature of the incident, the threat food contamination poses to public health, and the ongoing harm Mr. Howie is experiencing,” Troy attorney Daniel Gwinn said. “Just the thought of being served vermin like this is revolting.”
Olive Garden statement
An Olive Garden spokesperson released the following statement:
“We have no reason to believe there is any validity to this claim.”
