Long Island Woman Claims She Found Metal Staples in Cheesecake Factory Dessert

A Lindenhurst woman was enjoying a dessert at happy hour Tuesday evening at The Cheesecake Factory in Bay Shore, NY, when she says she felt something sharp in her mouth.

"As I was chewing, I realized something wasn't right," Lisamarie Hall said in a message to Patch. "There was something hard...inedible in the cheesecake. Out of my mouth, I pulled 3 metal staples. That's right. Three. STAPLES."

She was eating a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake.

In a letter that she sent to The Cheesecake Factory corporate office and also shared with Patch, Hall notes that the staples left cuts in her mouth, and she expressed concern that she might have swallowed a staple before she realized what they were.

Hall reports that she informed the manager, Frank, right away. Though he gave her a free dessert, she says, she was still expected to pay the rest of her bill (Frank eventually removed the $12 worth of appetizers from the bill as well), and she was informed that The Cheesecake Factory corporate office would contact her the following day.

In her post, she says she received no word from The Cheesecake Factory on Wednesday, which is why she took her complaint to Facebook. She also reports being told that the cheesecake is made at a central location for multiple restaurants, so she was concerned other desserts might have been affected.

The Cheesecake Factory's Facebook page replied to the post shortly thereafter, writing, "We’re so sorry to hear this, Lisamarie. We understand that our office has already been in touch with you. Please direct message us if there is anything else we can do to assist. Thank you."

Patch reached out to The Cheesecake Factory in Bay Shore and spoke to the manager who identified himself as Frank. He denied being aware of this incident or Lisamarie's complaint entirely, and he directed any further questions to the restaurant's corporate headquarters.

The Cheesecake Factory corporate office redirected Patch's requests for comments several times. When Patch reached Lisa Goldstein, who works for the company's public relations firm, she replied that she had no comment on the matter.

Late Thursday night, Alethea Rowe, Senior Director of Public Relations and Brand Management with the Cheesecake Factory, responded over email to questions about the incident by saying, "We are in contact with this guest and are investigating what may have happened."

Rowe did not address a question about whether customers should be concerned about the safety of The Cheesecake Factory's food.

Photo Credit: Wesley Fryer via Flickr