Even The Geico Gecko Has To Eat Dinner

BLOOMINGTON,Illinois -- Applebee’s is investigating a report of a dead but intact four-inch-long lizard found in a customer’s salad during lunch last Friday (August 1, 2008) at the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in Bloomington.

“We are aware of the report,” company spokesman Miles McMillin said Thursday. He said Applebee’s quality assurance department is working with the franchisee of the Bloomington restaurant, 502 N. Veterans Parkway.

“We’re in the middle of conducting that investigation right now,” said McMillin, adding, the local restaurant is “just as motivated to find out what happened here.”

Bree Davis of the McLean County Health Department said a health department sanitarian went to Applebee’s on Friday after receiving a complaint from the customer.

“This is not a common thing and, from our perspective, the restaurant was not at fault,” Davis said. “It’s just one of those extraordinary circumstances.” No action has been taken against the eatery.

She said the department’s “sanitarian did not see the lizard” because it had been discarded by Applebee’s staff. “But management confirmed it did happen.”

McMillin wouldn’t comment on what may have happened, but said, “Nothing is more important to Applebee’s than the well-being of our guests,” adding the report was being taken “very seriously.”

Davis said the health department notified the Illinois Department of Public Health because that’s standard procedure, and informed the U.S. Food & Drug Administration because the lettuce came from California.

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.

No Charge For The Extra Pizza Toppings.

The Little Caesars restaurant in Beverly was shut down Wednesday after a customer called 311 to report that he had found insects on his pizza. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) conducted an inspection of the restaurant at 10259 S. Western Ave., that uncovered an "infestation of drain flies."

Inspectors found more than 100 live drain flies on the premises, including on unbaked pizzas, bread sticks and in pizza dough. Inspectors ordered Little Caesars management to discard nine pizzas, six bread sticks and pizza dough.

CDPH also cited the pizzeria for failing to supply soap at a hand washing sink in the kitchen and at the employee restroom.

Little Caesars will remain closed until it passes re-inspection, and Little Caesars management are scheduled to appear at an administrative hearing Oct. 30 and pay a fine up to $1,750.

Disney's Kitchen Nightmares?

During a recent health inspection of the Enchanted Cottage Sweets & Treats (next to the Fantasyland Theater) the health inspector observed:

Old rodent droppings on two prepackaged 'Heinz' mustard food items and on one
prepackaged 'Heinz' relish food item located on the third prepackaged food upper storage shelving cabinet across from the register.

Rodent Infestation in a Critical Area:

1. Observed numerous old rodent droppings on the prepackaged food upper storage shelving below the front counter.
2. Observed a few old rodent droppings on the second prepackaged food upper storage shelving cabinet across from the register.
3. Observed a few old rodent droppings on the third prepackaged food upper storage shelving cabinet across from the
register.

Spicy pork sausage found in 'soiled diapers'

Yahoo news reports that McALLEN, Texas – Customs inspectors scored the makings of a barbecue when a 21-year-old South Texas women declared several soiled baby diapers at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing. Suspicious of the chunky diapers, inspectors with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the international bridge in Hidalgo found several links of spicy pork sausage, or chorizo, inside. The diapers had been folded to look soiled, according to a customs agency statement.

The Mission resident, who was not identified after the Friday night incident, was fined $300 and her chorizo was seized.

Mmm. I don't think I'd eat sausage that was wrapped in this.

A Scoop of Poop

The gelato caper gripping Australia had several twists and a couple of great soundbites Tuesday morning (Australia time).

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that security camera footage of an incident in which staff at the Coogee Bay Hotel allegedly served a family a cup of gelato laced with human feces shows the dessert being delivered to the family by the restaurant's manager. "She was concerned about the family's experience and she had the idea of offering a complimentary dessert to try and make some amends," said the hotel's general manager, Tony Williams.

Stephen and Jessica Whyte, along with their three young children and another family, were at the hotel to watch the NRL (National Rugby League) grand final, but after a series of complaints became suspicious when they were given a free bowl of gelato. "The real issue is that we were fed, as a family, shit, at someone's pub," Mr Whyte told 2UE.

Yesterday the NSW Food Authority announced it was investigating, and the hotel's management confirmed it had contacted Maroubra police in preparation for possible criminal charges against anyone who might have tampered with food at the hotel.

The New South Wales Food Authority announced a few hours ago that a sample of the gelato allegedly served to a family at the Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney, Australia, has tested positive for fecal matter.

The sample, a small residual amount of gelato and fecal matter on a tissue, was provided by Stephen and Jessica Whyte this week. The NSW Food Authority began an investigation yesterday and carried out a brief test that confirmed the nature of the provided sample.

It will now perform a more detailed DNA-based test that will determine if the fecal matter is animal or human, and the sex of the "provider."

The results of that test will not be known for up to a week. However, because of the length of time since the incident, it was unclear whether the tests could provide a clear outcome in the murky matter.

Illinois student added special sauce to lunchroom salad dressing.

MAY 23, 2007--An Illinois teenager was sentenced today for a repulsive lunchroom prank involving a bottle of salad dressing that he tainted with a certain bodily fluid. Marco Raphael Castro, 17, was charged last December with disorderly conduct after he ejaculated into a container of ranch dressing that he had taken into a bathroom at Wheaton North High School. Castro returned the befouled condiment to the student commons, though nobody was sickened as a result of the additional ingredient.

A letter went home to parents on Thursday, in which Principal Jill Bullo wrote that on Dec. 6, 2006 the student took the salad dressing container into the boys' restroom, ejaculated into it, and placed it back on the cafeteria condiment table.

The student, a senior, admitted his action after being questioned, and was "appropriately disciplined" by the school, Bullo wrote. "It is unclear if anyone subsequently used the salad dressing prior to its normal cleaning by food service personnel," Bullo wrote. Sodexho, the school's food service provider, requires that condiment containers be emptied and washed every other day. But Bullo said company officials are unsure whether the container was washed Wednesday after lunch. Officials determined that the contents could have been ingested during the last lunch period on Wednesday and during all five lunch periods on Thursday.

The school contacted the DuPage County Health Department, and indicated that it was unlikely any pathogens could survive in the dressing, the student should be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Several students reported the incident to the dean's office this past Tuesday afternoon, Bullo wrote.

But by then, students said, it was too late, and everyone knew about the incident already. And everyone was universally repulsed. "The whole school is disgusted," said senior Brian Corcoran. "That's got to be the sickest thing I've ever heard in my life," said Nick Anderson, also a senior student. "It's just pretty gross that someone would actually do that," said senior Edward Lee.

"It's been going on for a month. That's what we've all been hearing," said senior Katie Muir, but school officials say their investigation has shown that it happened just once, last Wednesday.

From now on the condiments in all 20 schools in the district will only be available in individual packets or in large containers, making them very difficult to tamper with.

The DuPage County Health Department, in consultation with the Illinois Department of Public Health, issued a statement Thursday about the incident. "The risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease or other disease from the ingestion of food contaminated with semen is considered extremely low," the statement said. "We are not aware of any documented cases of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases that have been spread through this means." However, the person responsible is undergoing medical evaluation, the statement said. If he has an illness that may pose a risk to others, information will be provided to the parents of potentially exposed students.

The teenager was sentenced today to 120 hours of community service with an AIDS organization and ordered to pay a $750 fine. He was also ordered to attend counseling, write a letter of apology to the high school, and enroll in college (though expelled from school, Castro had amassed enough credits to graduate). Castro, pictured in the above mug shots, will be eligible to have the misdemeanor convictions expunged from his record if he stays out of trouble for two years. Parents at the school learned of the "very unusual and disgusting incident" via a letter (see below) from principal Jill Bullo, who reported that the school's food service staff, "has changed to larger, less portable containers that will make it difficult for any similar incident to occur in the future."

Today's Special...Road Kill

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) - Is road kill on the menu at a popular Hamburg, NY restaurant? A disturbing discovery at the China King Restaurant has forced health officials to lock the doors.

Lisa Williams was going to eat in the restaurant when she got some upsetting news. "Were you coming to eat here?" "Yeah, we were coming to eat." "Did you hear what happened?" "No." "Health inspectors closed it down because there was road kill out here, a deer." "Oh no."

People who came to China King for their Friday dinner found it hard to believe. A dead deer had been butchered inside the kitchen. A witness tells us he saw an Asian man dragging the deer inside. "I watched him drag it across the parking lot and he dragged it through the front door of the China King Restaurant. I said this is just not right, so I called Hamburg Police and reported it. Sure enough by the time they got there, they said that he had the deer almost all butchered inside the restaurant."

Another patron wonders, "How stupid could that man be? To let that go on."
Erie County Health Commissioner, Dr Anthony Billitier said, "I don't know what the intention was with the deer, but they can't do that in the restaurant even if they were going to use it for private consumption. It's not consistent with the sanitary code.

Its a story that's closed down the restaurant and caused patron to loose their appetite Lisa Williams said, "That's disgusting, I'll never eat Chinese again. I'm sorry for all these people out there. That's gross."

When asked if Sue Bender will come here again? She replied, "never...never."
The Erie County Health Department immediately shut down China King in Hamburg Friday after they got a tip call that an employee brought a deer that had been struck by car into the restaurant.

On the day in question the inspector found the deer on the floor of the kitchen, with it legs cut off and placed in the sink. There were blood drag marks on the floor leading from the front door, through the front area into the kitchen.
The inspector also found a refrigerator was too warm. And all of this food, pounds of ribs, chicken, eggs- all had to be thrown out because it wasn't safe.

The restaurant has a history of cooling problems stemming back to 2003. In 2005, cited again, for cooked chicken cooling at room temperature. It was 113 degrees. It must be kept 140 degrees or above or 45 degrees or below.

It doesn't stop there. In 2007 the store sought help from a pest control company for a cockroach problem. The health department found dozens of sanitary problems in the last five years.


Story by Tricia Cruz, WIVB