IHOP exploded egg...

[ksierra]

What is the name of your state? West Virginia

I'm not sure if there is anything legal I can do about this. Last night I went to dinner with my mother and brother around 7-8 pm at International House of Pancakes (IHOP). We ordered and it seemed forever for our food to finally get there, and once there everything was cold. I had ordered only one boiled egg and it was freezing! It seems like it was boiled earlier and kept in the refrig. So I then asked the waitress to make me another one. She seemed fine with my request and took the egg back. About ten mins later she returns with a new egg. I touch it with my finger to make sure that it is warm, which it was but so hot that I was afraid to eat it straight into my mouth. I then cut up the egg with the side of my spoon and it exploded in my face, in my hair, all over the table, on my brother (on the other side),mom, on tables around us, in the floor, on the wall..everywhere. I don't know if you're aware with the danger of microwaving eggs, it's the only way eggs explode. So my mother asked for the manager, she was pretty much freaking out (oh im eighteen by the way), the manager comes and hes laughing..like it was SO funny and at this point the waitress is smirking as well. Everyone including the people around us were totally freaked out, when it exploded it sounded like a gun shot and scared the crap out of me to be honest. So my mom asked him if the egg was microwaved, and he said no that he boiled it himself, all while laughing.(which is impossible this effect could never happen with an egg being boiled on the stove) They did not offer to clean up anything on the table or surrouding us. They did not offer any assistance whatsoever. Keep in mind this was very embarassing, egg was all over me. And my question is, if I had bitten into that egg I would / or could have been seriously injured.(if you'd like to see more stories on exploded eggs search on google, i have read that some people have been temp. blinded because of such situations like this, or their mouths burnt and bleeding, i can only be thankful it was too hot from touch that i decided to cut it.) Is there anything legal I can do at this point?

Here is something I found doing some research myself:
The explosion really is caused by superheating, a complex phenomenon of the physics of phase changes. When water is heated over a flame, it gradually reaches a boil and turns to steam when the water temperature reaches 212F. But in a microwave, the heat is applied at a subatomic level, the water molecules can reach temperatures above 212F without changing phase from water to vapor. If these "superheated" molecules are jarred or disturbed, they will change from water to vapor in an instant, releasing a huge burst of steam, or even a small explosion.


Please reply soon.

Thanks,
Katherine

[rmet4nzkx]

IHOP Support Center is located at:
450 North Brand Blvd
Glendale, California 91203.
(818) 240-6055
Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time

[JETX]

Originally Posted by ksierra

Is there anything legal I can do at this point?

Yep. You can make the decision to not eat at IHOP in the future.
If you mean, can I make any money off of this??? Probably not. After all, from your own post, you admitted it was "so hot that I was afraid to eat it straight into my mouth".

[rmet4nzkx]

Originally Posted by JETX

Yep. You can make the decision to not eat at IHOP in the future.
If you mean, can I make any money off of this??? Probably not. After all, from your own post, you admitted it was "so hot that I was afraid to eat it straight into my mouth".

Jet,
If I order a salad, with whole cherry tomatoes, they are not cut in 1/2 and I place it in my mouth, whole and it explodes in my mouth, can I sue the establishment failure to disarm that tomato? I live in California, and we encounter this quite often as salads are popular here.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by rmet4nzkx

If I order a salad, with whole cherry tomatoes, they are not cut in 1/2 and I place it in my mouth, whole and it explodes in my mouth, can I sue the establishment failure to disarm that tomato?

Of course you can. As I have said many times in my posts, anyone can sue almost anyone else over almost anything. However, that does NOT mean you will have won the 'legal lotto'.

Here is one you might enjoy:
"Vancouver couple gets jury award against Yellow Pages company
A couple was awarded $1.5 million because the Yellow Pages publisher mistakenly reported that a doctor was board certified when in fact he wasn't."
[url]http://ypcommando.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_ypcommando_archive.html[/url]

[rmet4nzkx]

Originally Posted by JETX

Of course you can. As I have said many times in my posts, anyone can sue almost anyone else over almost anything. However, that does NOT mean you will have won the 'legal lotto'.

Here is one you might enjoy:
"Vancouver couple gets jury award against Yellow Pages company
A couple was awarded $1.5 million because the Yellow Pages publisher mistakenly reported that a doctor was board certified when in fact he wasn't."
[url]http://ypcommando.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_ypcommando_archive.html[/url]

What about jelly doughnuts, you know, if they hand it to you facing the wrong direction so the hole is facing away and when you chomp down on it, the jelly goes squirting across the room. OH! And if it is self service, shouldn't they place warnings about the dangers of jelly doughnuts? For that matter, maybe cherry tomatoes should come with warnings.

BTW the problem with secondary yellow page listings is that they hijack the listings of the paid carriers who require proof of licensure to renew the ad. So they are almost always 1-3 years behind when the actual license is pulled. Anyone wishing to confirm licensure should contact their state boards rather than rely on yellow page listings.

[You Are Guilty]

Not that it gives you a basis for a lawsuit, but exploding eggs are not a result of "superheating", it's because they heat non-uniformly and pressure builds up inside the shell: [url]http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/June98/microwave.ift.ssl.html[/url]

Superheating occurs when water "can't" boil due to a lack impurities in the water. (Which means, don't microwave distilled water!)

We now return to the exploding fruit discussion, already in progess.

[MandyD]

If she did attempt some sort of legal recovery for this, might she end up with "egg on her face?" LOL

[ksierra]

Well, I don't think it's very funny, HA HA. It scared the **** out of me and I did actually end up with egg everywhere. NOt that anyone cared that worked there, they didn't offer to help do anything. My mom was completely freaked out. Yes, It was my decision to not eat the egg straight into my mouth, however not because i was afraid it was going to explode in my face. are restaurants allowed to microwave eggs or purposely send explosive foods?

the thing is, it was very clear after it happened it was sorta like "payback" for complaining about my food. for christ sakes isn't the manager suppose to be somewhat responsible and mature in a situation like this? (the guy was easily 40 +) After all he stood there and admiting he boiled the egg and laughed . it's exactly like, if someone should do/put something in my food, such as spit or place something inside of it to "get back at me"..would there be something I could do if someone tampered with my food?

If you don't think thats serious than sorry (i should hope you would) should i be afraid to never complain about my food, EVEN to the manager in fear that something is going to explode?

Katie

[bliss_in_texas]

You have to admit, that if you were reading this and not involved, it really is humourous, especially coming from West Virginia. However, if you really believe that there was malicious intent to harm you, you should consult with a personal injury attorney or perhaps do some research regarding the outcome of such cases.
Remember the McDonalds coffee case everyone? One of the main points of that case was the Mickey D's kept their coffee over the recommended heating point by somewhere upwards of 25%. They knew it could cause burns of the third degree but wanted their coffee served that way to customers. In the few years before the old lady got seared, McD's had over 200 complaints regarding burns caused by scalding coffee. Having had some experience with food service in the past, every place will have "specs" that they follow with regard to preparing food. I realize eggs don't have warning labels but it would be easy enough to bring forward the spec and to point out that the manager, being in such a postion, would know of the risk involved in serving certain items not prepared to safety specs.
So joking aside, I can see how this would have been humiliating and possibly hurtful, however, it is a long shot. I would call an attorney for a consultation.

[ksierra]

sure, i can see how something from west virginia would be humorus (i am not from here, we moved here a few years ago) But I was just very concerned. Thanks for your help.

Katie

[rmet4nzkx]

I gave you the number to make a complaint, most likely you will get a coupon for a free meal.

[ksierra]

right, i just called them. i think i wrote my first msg out of angry. i had no intentions of taking anyone to court (im leaving the country in two days), i was just so pissed about how i was treated and wanted to know the legal stand point. but i did call and make a complaint.

thanks all,
katie