--- title: This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad description: A pregnant woman has filed a claim against Applebee's stating that she found a piece of bloody fingertip in her salad while dining at one of the chain's California locations. canonical: https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-11T19:07:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:28:32.937Z og:title: This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad og:description: The restaurant released a statement saying the incident was "unacceptable" og:url: https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb897e8d0ffa01c94/6988787f196cf43126039cad/applebees-fingertip-salad.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Applebee's restaurant exterior logo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad twitter:description: The restaurant released a statement saying the incident was "unacceptable" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb897e8d0ffa01c94/6988787f196cf43126039cad/applebees-fingertip-salad.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=909c8393-d16c-4e02-b95f-b8484ed7bd0b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=909c8393-d16c-4e02-b95f-b8484ed7bd0b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=909c8393-d16c-4e02-b95f-b8484ed7bd0b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 11, 2016 7:07 PM UTC  Applebee's restaurant exterior logo Applebee's restaurant exterior logoJohn Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 11, 2016 7:07 PM UTC A pregnant woman has filed a claim against [Applebee’s](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1905549%5F1905546%5F1905465,00.html) stating that she found a piece of bloody fingertip in her salad while dining at one of the chain’s California locations. Cathleen Martin said that she, her husband, and their child were sharing a Chinese chicken salad when they discovered the severed fingertip. “It was so gross,” Martin told the [San Luis Obispo Tribune](http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article53524005.html). “I’m on pins and needles worrying about what my [family might have been exposed to](http://time.com/75810/which-will-make-you-sicker-four-star-v-fast-food/).” Although the company stated that it can not legally require the fingertip’s owner to undergo any medical testing, the cook has agreed to a screening in order to “provide the peace of mind Mrs. Martin seeks.” Alan Knapp, area director of the franchise, has expressed that the incident was “unacceptable,” and that his team members will be undergoing extensive retraining in order to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Martin’s claim seeks unspecified damages for emotional distress, medical expenses for testing and lost income. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/"},"headline":"This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad","datePublished":"2016-01-11T19:07:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:28:32.937Z","description":"The restaurant released a statement saying the incident was \"unacceptable\"","url":"https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink","restaurants"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb897e8d0ffa01c94/6988787f196cf43126039cad/applebees-fingertip-salad.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb897e8d0ffa01c94/6988787f196cf43126039cad/applebees-fingertip-salad.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Applebee's restaurant exterior logo","caption":"Applebee's restaurant exterior logo","creditText":"John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4175665/applebees-customer-finds-fingertip-in-salad/","name":"This Applebee's Customer Found a Fingertip in Her Salad"}}]}] ```