Beatle in My SALAD

Updated on September 21, 2012
F.B. asks from Kew Gardens, NY
18 answers

Mamas & Papas-

Just sat down to lunch in my office. Got a salad to go from a large commericial sandwich shop. Halfway through, I noticed a beatle was crawling around in it. Obviously I stopped eating, and I've got said creature trapped as we speak. I'm goign to swing by the shop to alert the management.

What would expect them to do?

Thanks
F. B.

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So What Happened?

They comped my salad, and explained that it probably came in on the produce. I figured as much.

Thanks for the tips and the laughs. I will correct my spelling of beetle in the future. Hoping however, that I never have another unwanted dinner guest.

F. B.

Featured Answers

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

I would expect them to replace the salad, and maybe give me a little something extra for my trouble (a drink, soup, sandwich...) It isn't too unusual to find an insect in produce, and sometimes it just makes it through the washing process. The more reasonable you are, the more they will usually do for you.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Was it Paul, or Ringo?

(Sorry, I couldn't help it. I haven't looked below, but I bet someone else made that joke.)

More Answers

N.G.

answers from Dallas on

Which Beatle was it?

9 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Was it Paul or Ringo?
LOL sorry I couldn't resist!!!
But, yes I would take it back to where you got it, for sure, and probably not buy from there again :)

8 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Dallas on

Did it each much? Certainly you can share. LOL!

2 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know that it sounds gross but this kind of thing happens more often than you would think. More than likely it happened at the supplier/grower level and not the restaurant level. A restaurant I used to work in had to switch suppliers because we kept getting grasshoppers in our mixed greens! They were alive when we found them in the greens! so bizzaire. Bugs live on plants and when they are harvested they can get trapped. in the factory things like grasshoppers and beetles can hop or fly around from one area to another a make it into the box that is going out to the restaurant. If you cant stomach another meal from them a refund and apology should be accepted.

1 mom found this helpful

A.R.

answers from Houston on

You should be offered a free salad/meal. I had this happen twice during my last pregnancy. I go my whole life without being reminded of these niceties and then my carefully protected happy bubble was burst. The first was a fly in my burger – mid-bite, oh so appetizing. They offered a replacement burger. Oddly enough I didn't take them up on the offer. The second was a live roach crawling on my plate. Again they offered a replacement meal and again a no thanks on my part. They do like to know these things, though, so they can take corrective actions. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Refund your money and apologize profusely, ideally offer your a gift certificate. But I'd also report it to the board of health. If possible, keep the beetle (not Beatle - that's Paul, Ringo....!) and give it to the BOH and fill out a written complaint. If it's part of a pattern, they'll step in (one hopes), and if it's a one-shot deal, an isolated lapse, probably nothing will happen. If they don't take it seriously, I'd really make noise with the BOH and consider writing a letter about the failure to react (not the beetle itself) to the local paper. That usually gets their attention.

1 mom found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I would have trapped the beetle as you did. Since you could not leave work right away to go back to the shop, I would have called them to let them know that I will be stopping by with the said beetle with their salad after I get off work. Hopefully you still have your receipt and the markings on the container identify the store so they can't say..
"Oh that is not our salad".

The outcome depends on how you handle yourself. If you go in raging mad and confrontational, you won't get as far as being sweet.

I would expect a replacement salad and if management is on top of their game, maybe a gift card for another meal as well.

Let us know how they react and what they do to remedy this.
Good luck

1 mom found this helpful

J.B.

answers from Houston on

I found a grubworm in a salad I was eating at Chilis.
About the most they could do is refund your money.

1 mom found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

Ummm....no free meal for me! GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!! Ick!! You go in there spittin' mad and make sure they give you the cash...who wants a free meal from a place that has beetles crawling around?!

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

That happened to me once in college. Big beetle in my salad from Wendy's. I was eating there, so I took it up to the counter and handed it over. The manager came out and apologized, gave me my money back, and gave me a bunch of coupons for return visits. It was a long time before I ever ate there again.

I would think they would do something like that for you.

Yuk.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Good for you for not throwing up!

I think they will apologize profusely and offer you your money back. They may offer a coupon for some free food - don't think I'd take that!

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A.G.

answers from New York on

Give your money back and offer you free food.

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C.R.

answers from Dallas on

This happened to me at a national deli that has a salad bar, about half way through my salad a dressing drenched bug crawled to the edge of my salad plate. I took it to the counter, nobody acknowledged that I was standing there so I said "excuse me", the manager walked over and said "yes?", i pointed as to not alert the masses, she took my plate, knocked the bug on the floor and handed my plate back to me!! I handed it back and said no thank you, I'd like my money back and she issued the refund. This was probably 2 years ago and just the thought of going back makes me queezy.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

ewww ... You should have mentioned the place. That would have been helpful :)

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C.W.

answers from Santa Barbara on

This thing is pretty similar to what happened to one of my guy friends last night. He steamed his prepackaged bag of green beans...and there was a snail in there!!! Gross!!

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I would expect them to comp me the salad. Ew.

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