(WWJ) – An Oakland County man has filed a lawsuit against Olive Garden , claiming made a disturbing discovery in his soup.
Thomas Howie of Madison Heights says he went out to eat with friends at the Olive Garden on Van Dyke near 13 Mile back in March. As he was eating his minestrone, Howie says he felt a stabbing pain in his mouth.
When he spit it out, he saw a furry, clawed rat’s foot, according to the lawsuit.
Attorney Daniel Gwinn of Troy-based law firm Gwinn Legal, PLLC, has filed a $75,000 lawsuit on behalf of Howie, who says he got sick right in the restaurant.
When restaurant management was alerted, an employee reportedly said, “that’s funny, we don’t put meat in minestrone,” according to the lawsuit.
When police officers showed up they also gagged, according to Howie.
Howie says he went to an urgent care facility that night. He got a tetanus shot and was prescribed antibiotics, but says he continued to be sick in the days following, WWJ’s Ryan Marshall reported.
While the Olive Garden location remains open, WWJ reached out to the restaurant and the person who answered the phone said they have no comment.
WWJ has also reached out to Olive Garden's parent company Darden Restaurants for comment.
Tom Barnes with the Macomb County Health Department says inspectors were called out immediately after the alleged incident and they conducted a thorough investigation, but found nothing.
"We did not find a violation there," Barnes said. "If there was, or if we're having problems in getting compliance, we'd issue violations. But we did not have any."
Barnes also said the Olive Garden in question has high marks for health and safety, without any complaints before or after the March incident. The health department says it is safe to eat there.
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