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Man chips tooth on bolt in restaurant soup; Outback plans to pay for dental work
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When James Fetters began eating a cup of potato soup at an Outback Steakhouse three weeks ago, he expected to taste bits of bacon, chopped chives and melted cheese. Instead, the Estero resident said he bit into a 2-inch industrial bolt, leaving him with more than a bad taste in his mouth.
The bolt chipped Fetters’ left front tooth, he said, carving away part of the enamel and causing a slight pain in his tooth as he breathes. He wants Outback to pay for the damage, and said he feels the restaurant hasn’t made much of an effort to help him. An Outback Steakhouse corporate official said the company is willing to pay for Fetters’ dental procedures.
Fetters, 46, said he was leaving a wake with his wife and two friends when they decided to stop for dinner at the chain’s restaurant off of U.S. 19 in Spring Hill, which is north of New Port Richey. Fetters’ wife, Lisa, had been feeling nauseous from dealing with the wake, so James said he ordered her a cup of soup. When she felt too sick to eat it, James did, and bit into the bolt while eating his third spoonful of soup.
He immediately pulled it out of his mouth, he said, and asked the server to get the manager.
“I told the manager, ‘Look what I found in my soup,’ and handed him the bolt, still covered in potato soup just to show him that I wasn’t making this up,” James Fetters said. “He apologized and acted professionally, but when I asked him for an incident report he told me they didn’t do that. I asked him three times, and he said they didn’t have any.”
Frustrated that Fetters couldn’t fill out an accident report, Fetters said his wife and friends walked out of the restaurant.
“To think of where that bolt came from made me feel even more nauseous,” Lisa Fetters said. “It was disgusting.”
While James Fetters talked to the manager, he said the manager told him that all of the food they ordered was being packaged up to go and that they’d receive it for free.
“I said to him, ‘That’s all you’re going to do for me? You’re not going to put this in writing?’ I was shocked,” he said.
About a week after the incident, Fetters received a letter in the mail from Theresa Rogers, a claims representative from Wachovia Insurance. Fetters said Rogers told him that Outback Steakhouse would reimburse him for the costs to have his tooth fixed. Fetters said he hasn’t contacted a lawyer and doesn’t think he will; he just wants Outback to pay to get his tooth repaired.
There was one snag in the chain’s offer, however — Fetters is between jobs and said he cannot pay the dentist bills upfront. Since he doesn’t have insurance, Fetters said a dentist’s initial consultation would cost between $300 and $500, not counting the cost of repairing the tooth. He also said he found three dentists who agreed to send the bill to Wachovia Insurance directly, but Rogers rejected them.
Rogers deferred all questions to Joe Kadow, executive vice president and chief officer of legal and corporate affairs for Outback Steakhouse Inc.
Kadow said the issue was really a matter of miscommunication between Fetters and Wachovia Insurance.
“Wachovia didn’t know he couldn’t pay for the costs (of an initial consultation),” he said. “We’ll pay for that and cover the costs of whatever else he needs. We’ll take care of him.”
Kadow said he has no idea how the bolt ended up in the soup, and said any guesses he could make would be pure speculation.
Regardless of how the bolt got there, Fetters said he’s thankful that it only chipped his tooth, and that the experience has made him pay more attention to what he eats.
“If I swallowed that, who knows, I could’ve died,” he said. “I’ll watch what I eat more closely from now on.”
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If he did eat it, it would have added a lot of IRON or steel, whatever it was made of, to his diet.
#1 Posted by RockfordGrad on May 16, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
funny
#2 Posted by Cblank on May 16, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Come on! A 2" bolt and he didn't see it. Thats bigger than the spoon. I always look at the spoon while its in route to my mouth. I don't buy this story at all. What exactly is an "industrial bolt". Out of work and He's eating at Outback? how did it chip the front tooth. This smells a little like fish chowder to me. lol
#3 Posted by goodview on May 16, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the spoonful of soup didn't feel oddly heavy? very fishy
#4 Posted by amused on May 16, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
#3, you got it. This is a scam all the way.
#5 Posted by marcoislandgal on May 16, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
From looking at the size of this guys head he hasn't watched what he eats in years.
#6 Posted by cupcake on May 16, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This guy's head is as big as Frankenstein's. Maybe one of the bolts that was attached to the side of his neck fell off into his soup.
#7 Posted by gutcheck on May 16, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
An obvious joker. Just unscamble his name, you get
"Me Fats Jester"
#8 Posted by arsenal on May 16, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
for once it seems that everyone is in agreeance,that this is deeper and Bigger than a soup spoon,,,,lol,,,i think that when he spooned That chunk of machiney up,and he didnt notice, Or anyone else at the table,they Must have been at the "Foxy Lounge",instead of the Outback,,,now at the Foxy?,, i might even agree that a 2" bolt wouldnt be noticed in a 1 and a 1/2" or so soup spoon,,,,:-)
#9 Posted by Bullbat on May 16, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Some people stoop pretty low when their out of work and need money.
Maybe they better pay for him some glasses too so the next time he might see a 2" bolt before he eats it. Nut-job here.
#10 Posted by Native on May 16, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know guys, IF he's not suing and only wants his tooth fixed, I give him the benefit of the doubt. And coming from a wake? Not what I would call the ideal time to be pulling a scam.
Remember the lady over in CA who tried to pull a scam a few years ago on a fast food restaurant and it backfired? She went to jail as I recall. I'd think there would be a bit of a disincentive to pull something like this just to get a tooth fixed.
#11 Posted by naplesregular on May 16, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Somehow I'd venture that this fellow will get a lot more than just the cost of a dental visit. After this incident this fellow will be psychologically injured in that he'll never be able to eat potato soup again.
Watch for Outback to shell out greenbacks.
#12 Posted by chap914 on May 16, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Look at the guy he obviously is wasting away to nothing. I'm sure he was inhaling the soup way too fast to notice the threads sticking out. I mean come on, the guy needed to eat!
America is HUNGRY!
#13 Posted by Green_Machine on May 16, 2008 at 4:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sound fishy to me.
#14 Posted by CaptKidd on May 16, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A two inch bolt. Didn't the spoon seem heavy all of the sudden? Well of course not. Sounds like the guy isn't even smart enough to pull off a scam.
Now the price of the double order of cheese fries is going to go up. Why couldn't he have just fallen on the floor in Taco Bell? He'd been off better for that.
#15 Posted by slash on May 16, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Could it be remotely possible that his tooth was chipped BEFORE he came to the restaurant and thought this may be an easy way to get free dental? Could be. I have heard of these things happening before.
#16 Posted by ravenhawk on May 16, 2008 at 5:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yep, a scam for sure. Outback got taken and their prices go up for this kind of shenanigans. Sure their insurance will pay, but then the premiums go up and we pay the freight. What a shakedown this guy has going.
#17 Posted by BlueTonguedVole on May 16, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SLOW
NO WAKE
#18 Posted by Naplestango on May 16, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A few years back there was a guy going around local eateries pretending to snag his pants on nails in restaurant booths. Hate to think this is similar, but how could he not notice such a large, heavy object on his spoon? I do know a prestigious lady of Naples who once really did bite into a dime at the former Registry. So, things do happen like this, but a huge bolt? It would also seem to me hard to miss by whoever put the soup in the cup. Who chews their soup, anyway?
#19 Posted by ocaloca on May 16, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Odd and fishy! No work! Cannot find $500 to pay dentist. Possible set-up?
#20 Posted by dooley on May 16, 2008 at 7:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, some cynical people out there.
A) He has not contacted a lawyer
B) He did not initiate further contact with Outback Corp nor Wachovia, THEY sent HIM a letter
These two facts should indicate that he is not pulling a scam as all you sadly cynical people believe. If he is, he's certainly patient about it...
#21 Posted by er0001 on May 16, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Come on, his tooth was chipped and he was looking for someone else to pay for it. Coming from a wake adds nice touch to the story. He was still shook up and grief stricken to notice a two inch piece of metal.
#22 Posted by Mony on May 16, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
“If I swallowed that, who knows, I could’ve died,”
Not likely. Kids eat things all of the time and don't die, some even try to kill themselves by eating nails, pins and other sharp objects, yet most of the time nature naturally removes those items safely.
Unless this bolt came from a Mack Truck, I would bet that this would have passed naturally as well.
Outback should just fix his tooth as quickly as possible or this "almost dead guy" will be suing for a lot more.
#23 Posted by Justmy2cents on May 16, 2008 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so obviously a SCAM!! Like many have said, he's out of work!! I would bet my LIFE that he already had a chipped tooth!! What idiot would not notice a bolt going into their mouth from a SOUP spoon, unless they were chugging it like a shot, then you would feel it going down your throat! If I eat soup, I can detect even grit from sand, or a piece of shell ( clam chowder of course ), I don't CHEW it, I spit it out!! A customer at my old job tried the same thing, while talking w/ him, I noticed he had very bad dentures, & that they were separated from the gum & broken. He kept reaching into his pocket, excused himself saying he had to use the mens room across the hall. A minute later I heard a thud & lots of swearing! He was screaming for me to help him, told him I had to get a male manager to go in there. He claimed he slipped on a banana peel,( the one in his pocket ) then hit his chin on the sink & it ruined his dentures!! SCAM!! We all knew it!! I already saw the nasty things! Also, this guy couldn't afford a dentist, so all he asked for was a new set of dentures, which he got. This was a large co., no biggie to pay for the lovely human beings dentures, just as it's no biggie for Outback to do the same thing. This is why our ins. premiums go up every year! DIRT BAGS!!
#24 Posted by citychick on May 16, 2008 at 10:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Welcome to Florida!
And you people wonder why major insurance companies don't want your business. It's because of characters like this.
In an effort to make people smile, I will quote this old time Chicago headline, which illustrates the current problem........
"15 people injured in Subway Accident".... "48 People Show up at Hospital.
#25 Posted by volochine on May 17, 2008 at 2:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You are correct---------A SCAM A 2 inch industrial bolt would not fit in, let alone on a spoon. ANd there would be no room for soup. Liar Liar! A lot of clinking going on there. Maybe he is deaf too and needs a hearing aid. Spam, scan and spoofing.
#26 Posted by jean on May 17, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
outback needs to just shut the "F" up and PAY UP !!
idiots could be out a lot more than dental bills if he gets a lawyer,,, when you're in big business you need to expect the unexpected and just pay up
#27 Posted by Chenzo on May 17, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like a scam to me. I'd like to be on the Civil jury. It's sure to come.
#28 Posted by Carmine3 on May 17, 2008 at 9:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What do you call a hooker with a chipped tooth..
Answer, an organ grinder
#29 Posted by Biff on May 17, 2008 at 11:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
liar, liar, pants on fire!
#30 Posted by biomanogt on May 17, 2008 at 1:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
#31 Posted by Garfield on May 17, 2008 at 9:02 p.m.
Cute, Biff...LOL......
#32 Posted by volochine on May 18, 2008 at 1:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
thanks
#33 Posted by Biff on May 18, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yup, total scam. Not only would he feel how heavy the spoon had suddenly become, not only would they have heard a rather large clunk (and a good sized splash) when they ladled out the soup into the bowl, but I would think that the kitchen staff would have heard that clanging around in the kitchen when they stirred the pot. And something that heavy isn't going to be floating in the soup; it would sink to the very bottom and would probably be visable to the kitchen staff before they ever ladled it into a bowl. There's a lot of holes in this story.
#34 Posted by oyvey1973 on May 19, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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