Madison Heights man sues Olive Garden after allegedly finding rat's foot in soup

Warren ― A Madison Heights resident is suing a Metro Detroit Olive Garden restaurant for more than $25,000 after allegedly eating a spoonful of soup with a rat’s foot in it, though the restaurant chain challenges the validity of the claim.

According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Macomb Circuit Court, Thomas Howie said he was at dinner with friends on March 11 at an Olive Garden on Van Dyke Avenue in Warren and talking to them while eating a bowl of minestrone soup. While chewing, Howie felt a sharp object “stab” his cheek and spit it out into a napkin.

He said the object appeared to be the foot of a rat, with fur and claws. 

“My stomach just heaved; I threw up right in the restaurant. I was mortified,” Howie said in a statement released by his attorney, Daniel Gwinn. 

The incident allegedly resulted in several days of nausea, vomiting and anxiety, followed by depression and paranoia, according to the complaint.

Olive Garden on Tuesday questioned the veracity of the claims.

“We have no reason to believe there is any validity to this claim," an Olive Garden representative said in a statement to The Detroit News.

At the time of the incident, Howie said the restaurant's management “did not seem to take the matter seriously” and even joked about it. 

“Until this happened, this was my favorite restaurant. I still can’t believe it,” Howie said.

The foot left a cut in Howie’s mouth that required treatment with antibiotics and a tetanus shot at an urgent care facility. He filed a police report and brought the rat’s foot to the Warren Police Department. 

Howie reportedly has had a hard time sleeping and eating. According to the complaint, he became “increasingly depressed” and “paranoid about food served by others.” 

Gwinn said Olive Garden has downplayed the incident. 

“We tried to work this out and avoid litigation, but Olive Garden refuses to acknowledge the serious nature of the incident, the threat food contamination poses to public health and the ongoing harm Mr. Howie is experiencing,” Gwinn said in a statement. 

According to the negligence lawsuit, Howie is seeking damages for “tangible and intangible harm” for mental anguish and emotional distress.