California woman finds bloody fingertip in her salad at Applebee's

Applebee's sign (AP)

A California woman has filed a claim Thursday saying she found a bloody fingertip in a salad at a local Applebee’s restaurant.

Cathleen Martin, of Atascadero, told The Tribune in San Luis Obispo she was with her husband and child at the restaurant in Paso Robles in December and everyone ate from her Chinese chicken salad. Martin is also pregnant with another baby.

“It was so gross,” Martin said in a news release sent by her attorney Eric Traut’s law firm. “I’m on pins and needles worrying about what my family might have been exposed to.”

Traut of Santa Ana said the manager confirmed the fingertip belonged to a cook.

A letter from Applebee’s said the restaurant can’t force the cook to undergo tests, but a spokesman said the cook has volunteered to undergo screening.

Alan Knapp, the area director of Applebee’s in California, said in a statement the business regretted that the Martin family had an “unacceptable” incident at one of its restaurants.

“We take matters involving the health and safety of our guests and team members seriously,” the statement reads. “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,” Knapp added.

Martin is seeking unspecified damages, medical expenses and lost income.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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