Restaurants plus me equals disaster!

[stashbin]

My family and I eat out a lot due to our hectic schedules. We have eaten just about everywhere there is to eat in our little big town and have a few favorites. One of them just got x'd off of the list!
We went to the Mellow Mushroom and I ordered my favorite sandwich. Got it, bit into it, and noticed something weird in my mouth. It felt like a basil leaf or something so I pulled it out and it wasn't a basil leaf...oh no.....it was a BAND AID!!!!!! YES THAT IS RIGHT!!!!! A NASTY BAND AID!
I immediately puked, freaked out, and demanded to see the manager. The cook came out (looking right out of a surfer movie) and held up his finger and said, "Awe dude, it must have slipped off of my finger!"

I really felt violated. I wanted to call the police. I did call the board of health and they informed me that there are no laws in place that say restaurants HAVE to wear gloves, and since the band aid was confiscated by the place (I was too out of it to think to grab it) and there was no proof, that there was nothing they could do but schedule an appointment for an inspection!

Has anyone else bit into a band aid or am I the only freak around here?

 

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

Ewwwww!!!! You poor thing! I would make sure I spoke to the owner(or as high up as you can get) and let them know what happened. Can you call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint?

 

[stashbin]

I called the health department that comes and inspects the restaurants in our area. I also called this lady from the news who does this weekly special about restaurants and their score cards. She told me that without the band aid she didn't really want to do the story. I just didn't think about taking the band aid with me. I mean they came over to the table, grabbed my plate and took it away. Then the manager and the kid/cook came out and apoligized and offered to pay for our meal and gave us some free coupons and we were out of there.
I called a lawyer friend of mine too and he hadn't really dealt with anything like this before. I also called my doctor to see if I needed to get some kind of treatment just in case the guy had hepititis or something... I mean I freaked out!

 

[robinb]

Opps. Just read your last post.

I don't know how much more you want the restaurant to do. They don't have to wear gloves and the restaurant gave comped your "meal". I don't think that ANY of us really want to know what's going on in the kitchen.

 

[stashbin]

Opps. Just read your last post.

I don't know how much more you want the restaurant to do. They don't have to wear gloves and the restaurant gave comped your "meal". I don't think that ANY of us really want to know what's going on in the kitchen.

Oh believe me...I know the restaurant isn't going to do a thing. I just think it is one of the most disgusting things that has ever happened to me and I was and still am outraged that nothing will be done about it. I just have to eat my band aid with a fork!

 

[Goofyluver]

OMG. I am so incredibly skeeved out reading your post.

FTR, I wouldn't have thought about keepin' the bandaid either. I would have been too busy washin' my own mouth out with soap.

 

[lilysmommy]

Actually the information may be incorrect. I teach Sanitation and Safety in a Culinary Arts School. Our state requires that any employee with a bandage MUST have the bandage covered with a glove or fingercot. It is a part of the ServSafe curriculum MOST businesses and schools for Culinary Arts teach and train their employees by. The business has VIOLATED the warrenty of sale which states that the food must be safe to serve ( It wasn't due to contamination of a physical hazard.) and that the food may have caused you harm (again you must be tested.) If the business is found to have violated the warrenty of sale, there could be damages.

The health department will make a visit to the establishment and examine their training records. It the staff hasn't been trained or if they haven't been trained for a set amount of time- they MUST retrain all employees.

Not that it helps but they will investigate the claim.

 

[PatriciaH]

My cousin got a Bandaid in his food at a place in NY. I got a huge plastic bread tie in my sandwich at Applebees (192) and we have never been back. It is disgusting.

 

[stashbin]

Actually the information may be incorrect. I teach Sanitation and Safety in a Culinary Arts School. Our state requires that any employee with a bandage MUST have the bandage covered with a glove or fingercot. It is a part of the ServSafe curriculum MOST businesses and schools for Culinary Arts teach and train their employees by. The business has VIOLATED the warrenty of sale which states that the food must be safe to serve ( It wasn't due to contamination of a physical hazard.) and that the food may have caused you harm (again you must be tested.) If the business is found to have violated the warrenty of sale, there could be damages.

The health department will make a visit to the establishment and examine their training records. It the staff hasn't been trained or if they haven't been trained for a set amount of time- they MUST retrain all employees.

Not that it helps but they will investigate the claim.

Thanks for the information. I figured the woman I talked to on the phone from the health department must not have known what the heck she was talking about. I mean....WHO BITES INTO A FREAKING BANDAID AND IT NOT BE A BIG DEAL?????????????
I know this is nasty, but I could actually taste the soap he washed his hands with because it had saturated the band aid. Hey maybe I should be looking on the bright side...I tasted the evidence that he had washed his hands!

 

[TennisGirl80]

That is gross, but jeez, wanting to call the police, and callinga lawyer and Dr - oh my goodness, I hope I never cross your path and possibly drop something infront of you or something - you may try to get me arrested!!!!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Well, you can't really call the police since a crime wasn't committed. It wasn't an intentional act.
I have had dead bugs in my salad at Maggianos, and black hair in my pasta at Olive Garden.
As gross as this was for you, I am sure it will NEVER happen again. Lightning never strikes twice.
Sorry you had a such a rotten experience!

 

[stashbin]

That is gross, but jeez, wanting to call the police, and callinga lawyer and Dr - oh my goodness, I hope I never cross your path and possibly drop something infront of you or something - you may try to get me arrested!!!!

I never called the police...just said I was so flustered and outraged that I didn't know what to do. As I was sitting there feeling like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone... many many things swarmed through my mind.
I did call my friend...who is a lawyer to see what could be done about enforcing better sanitation practices in the restaurant.

But believe me when I say....if you ever bite into a BAND AID...not a hair...A BAND AID, you might contemplate calling a few folks too.

 

[christineann]

Disgusting? Incredibly so, but unless you can show evidence of injury, there are no grounds for a law suit.

I would have called the health department, too, and alerted them as you did. Maybe a surprise inspection of the restaurant will take place.

 

[stashbin]

Disgusting? Incredibly so, but unless you can show evidence of injury, there are no grounds for a law suit.

I would have called the health department, too, and alerted them as you did. Maybe a surprise inspection of the restaurant will take place.

I know. That is what my friend said too. And to tell you the truth, I am not a law suit kind of gal. I just felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.

The health department said they would call them to schedule an inspection...a lot of good that would do!

 

[Bluestars]

That is so disgusting. That would probably make me kind of freak out. I mean, there was probably blood on that bandaid. Then the guy was handling food with an unprotected cut. Yuck!!!!!! I would rather eat a roach than a used bandaid.

 

[OrlandoMike]

What do you expect from a place called the "Mellow Mushroom"?

But in all seriousness! I would contact the corporate office, this is a chain right? And ask them if they have a corporate policy about wearing a band-aid unprotected from food contact. Most major restaurants would require an employee to wear a glove if they had a band-aid on their hands.

 

[Bluestars]

I think all people handling food in restaurants should be required by law to wear gloves. I don't want to have to worry about blood, bandaids, or any other disgusting thing like that in my food.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Gloves, unless changed every so often, will only provide a false sense of security. I cant tell you how many times I have been in a restaurant and seen some employee contaminate his/her gloves, and never changed them.

Yes, they are a very useful tool in the Food and Beverage industry, but only if used correctly!

 

[4nana]

OMG, poor you , I can't begin to imagine how shocking and discusting that was!
Just the thought of biting into a germ infested band-aid gives me chills!?!?!

I hope the health dept investigates and they face the conquences.

 

[Jeafl]

Believe me, I feel your pain. Last year I took a bite of salad at Bennigans and bit into an earring!!! It was a Hello Kitty pierced earring that ended up belonging to the chef! I almost vomited right on the spot. Especially after my kids were teasing me telling me he probaby had crusted, infected holes in his ears!