Dead rat in salad? NYC restaurant denies woman's discovery and offers a different explanation
A woman alleges she discovered a dead rat in her salad from Ongi, NYC, but the restaurant denies the claim, presenting security footage and health inspection results to support its position.
On May 5, Hannah Rasbach, 27, was left in shock after she found a dead mouse in her salad from Ongi, a New York City restaurant. After enjoying her usual meal on her lunch break, Rasbach noticed something unusual in her salad. Upon the examination, she realized it was a dead rodent. She immediately reported this to the restaurant, but based on security video footage and the health inspector's finding, the restaurant denied any contamination in their food preparation.
The situation has become contentious, and Rasbach continues to stand by her story while calling into question the credibility of the restaurant's response. After going to her doctor for some precautionary measures, the woman has said she feels trauma and disgust, and will never trust takeout again. Meanwhile, Onigi continues to defend its practices and provided evidence that the rodent was not part of the meal that was served to her.
Customer found a dead rat in a NYC restaurant
On May 5, Hannah Rasbach was eating her regular meal when she picked up a salad from Ongi. Instead of the usual spring mix, grilled salmon, and beef bulgogi, Rasbach was shocked to an unexpected topping, a dead rodent.
"I had eaten about half to two-thirds of the salad when I thought I saw a piece of beef bulgogi that hadn’t been chopped fully. It was buried under the lettuce," Rasbach recalled to People Magazine. “So I started trying to cut it with a knife, and something didn't feel right, so I moved the lettuce over and could tell what it was pretty quickly. I was in shock.”
According to video surveillance, shared by Eyewitness News, confirmed Rasbach's presence in the restaurant that day.
Ongi's spokesperson acknowledged Rasbach's reimbursement for the meal, and alluded to an inspection by the NYC Health Department on May, 7. The inspection gave Ongi an 'A' rating and the protocols were reaffirmed after reviewing their practices. The spokesperson said: "At the time of inspection, vermin were not observed, and the allegation was not substantiated."
The 27-year-old women described the rodent as being about 4 to 5 inches long. She admitted that she hadn't shaken the salad before eating, which led to the rodent being at the bottom of the bowl. "By the time I got to it, I had already eaten a significant amount," she said.
Rasbach shared that the incident has left her feeling "grossed out" and fearful of eating out. "I can’t trust takeout anymore. I’ll bring my lunch from now on," she said, acknowledging that while she’s not physically ill, she feels traumatized by the experience.
Hannah Rasbach's Salad Bowl. Photo: Hannah Rasbach/People
NYC restaurant denies customers' story
The restaurant is also rejecting Rasbach’s claim and is adamant that security footage and employee statements will show that there was no rodent in the salad at the time of serving it to her. "After reviewing the footage and asking questions to the staff, we determined that the contaminant was not added at our restaurant," they said. "We take great pride in serving quality food and had never had allegations of contamination before."
The owner of Ongi, Ray Park, called Rasbach while she was at the doctor's office to apologize. He expressed regret and offered to resolve the situation. After their conversation, Park continued to follow up via text and phone calls.
A spokesperson for Park verified the phone conversation, reiterating that Park asked Rasbach to call her after her treatment, which she had not.
With respect to Rasbach's photo authenticity, Ongi's spokesperson adamantly rejected the accusations and said that it is "inconceivable" that such a large foreign object would go unnoticed when preparing the food. They stated that the video evidence of the food preparation disproves Rasbach's narrative.
Rasbach stands by her statement and said that she is being truthful, and questioned, if the rodent didn't come from the restaurant how could it have ended up in her salad? "What could I possibly gain out of this? I'm not suing anyone. There is no reason for me to put a rodent in my own salad," Rasbach said.
