Applebee’s served a four-inch dead lizard as part of a salad last week. The McLean County Health Department investigated the surprise garnish and found that while “management confirmed it did happen,” “it’s just one of those extraordinary circumstances,” and that the restaurant was not at fault.
Asked whether the health department thought the lizard came with the lettuce, or whether it was placed with the lettuce later, Davis said, “I don’t want to speculate or place blame.”
The health department has not fined or sanctioned the restaurant, Davis said. The sanitarian’s investigation revealed that nothing appeared out of the ordinary and that Applebee’s staff did nothing wrong, she said.
Employees showed how they wash the lettuce, cut it, then wash it again. “They couldn’t fathom how it (a lizard) got through the process…and they profusely apologized,” Davis said.
Applebee’s officials promised that “the report was being taken very seriously.”
Lizard reportedly found in salad at Applebee’s [Pantagraph]
(Photo: Getty)
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He’s just trying to save you money on your car insurance. Quit complaining!
mmm…. this might be considered a delicacy somewhere!!
That’s some crazy guerrilla advertising by Geico!
The customer should have just ate it. I’m sure it would’ve tasted better than anything else on Appleby’s gawd-awful, disgustingly over-charred menu.
The salad was indubitably delicious?
Not the first time that Applebee’s has had this happen…This happened to a University of Iowa professor at the Coralville, Iowa Applebee’s a few years back:
[media.www.dailyiowan.com]
[www.sfgate.com]
The lesson is if you go to order a salad at Applebee’s, ask them to hold the croutons and lizard.
“It’s reptile week at Crapplebee’s!”
they apologized
what do you want more ?
@waza:
But are they taking it seriously?
I love the picture chosen, it adds a little fright to an already disgusting story (it’s a tokay gecko, those little buggers are MEAN).
@waza: “they apologized
what do you want more ?”
A salad with no lizard?
And the server was a caveman.
Was the lizard poisonous?
How do you serve a salad with a 4 inch lizard in it and not notice it?? Ewww.
@Bearcat44: I’m sorry, I totally laughed because that is exactly how they sound in Applebee’s ads.
when i was married i used to have to go to painful thanksgiving dinners with in-laws every year no matter what. my favorite memory was after dinner one year when someone got the coffee cups out of the cabinet and one of them had a curled-up dead lizard in it. it was almost like god was telling me to “hang in there, i know it’s tough.” never had a lizard in a salad, though on the few occasions i go to applebees, i do tend to order salad in some form.
“Employees showed how they wash the lettuce, cut it, then wash it again.”
I can not believe that the salads at Applebee’s are anything better than bagged. Fresh, double-washed greens? Ha! A bagged salad would certainly explain the lizard. Factory-packaged foods aren’t always perfect. Cut open the bag, throw in a bowl, garnish, and serve without a second thought or a cursory glance to make sure it’s edible.
The mediterranean house gecko are invasive, but they eat insects (roaches) not salad. So I figure they were really doing you a favor and picking the bugs out of the lettuce.
Better to find a dead lizard than a live tokay gecko like in the picture. Those MFers are vicious!
I said I wanted it GRILLED!
@strathmeyer: As well as the check 15 minutes ago. lol I wanted that 15 minutes ago! You don’t understand, I wanted that 15 minutes ago. (Had a kids in the hall moment sorry y’all.)
I was wondering if this story would make it here. I’ve eaten at that Applebee’s many times.
I’ve never had a lizard in my salad, but their braised iguana is delish.
Yes, I would agree on a couple of points:
1) Serving a lizard in a salad is not a common thing, and,
2) Yes, it’s an extraordinary circumstance.
Where I would disagree, is on this point:
“the restaurant is not at fault.”
They served the lizard to the patron. They should have safeguards in place (i.e., the server actually looking at the plate to see if the item served is something that the server himself would eat — doesn’t seem that outrageous!)
It must be the Wall of Voodoo special.
“I’m on Mexican whoa-oh Radio!”
Adding: yes, obviously this sort of thing can happen occasionally, and a company should not be pilloried when it happens, but the company’s response should be, “OMG, we can’t believe this happened,” not, “Yeah, you gotta expect the occasional lizard . . “
How could the lizard have gotten in a salad bag? Since when did lizards start eating vegetation? I call vast right/left wing conspiracy.
A friend of mine found some live bugs in her salad at a major chain restaurant. She wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign because it was obviously fresh!
Well, it’s pretty obvious from this report, that it’s the customer’s fault, which is why the health department isn’t concerned:
- Source: Sarcasm Daily News, Fiona Morgan, 2/31/2008, Page A10.
You must not have ever worked at a restaurant or understand how restaurants get their food. It would be very easy to serve a 4″ lizard. A 4″ lizard from head to tail would be very very tiny. @Cliff_Donner:
Unfortunately, some things that live outside of buildings get into buildings sometimes.
My question is, where the hell did they find a lizard in McLean county?
@Eyebrows McGee:
Good point. I don’t think we have many (any?) of those around here.
Unless it made a break for it from a pet store?
@Hongfiately: So you’re saying that being a waiter is an easy job?
This just in: shit happens! Things outside of the realm of our imagination happen! Remotely possible incidents occur in real life!
NEWS AT 11!