SNAKE HEAD UPDATE

The snake's head wasn't cooked.


T.G.I. Friday's is asking State Police to investigate what it now says is a case of product tampering: The snake head a customer says he found mixed in his broccoli at the chain's Clifton Park restaurant this past Sunday was never cooked.

The head was sent to an independent laboratory for testing, the T.G.I. Friday's said in an e-mailed statement, and the lab confirmed in writing Friday the severed head was not boiled with the broccoli.

"It has been concluded that the snake's head was placed in the food at some point after the cooking process," the statement said.

"We don't know who was involved in this senseless act of product tampering, but we are cooperating fully with the authorities and will prosecute the individual or individuals involved to the fullest extent of the law," said Amy Freshwater, spokeswoman for Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent of T.G.I. Friday's. "Product tampering is a serious offense and impacts all restaurants, not just Friday's."

Jack Pendleton, 28, of Ballston Lake, said he found the severed head, the size of the tip of his thumb, on his plate mixed in with a side order of vegetables. He took a photo of it with his cell-phone camera before reporting the find to the waiter. The restaurant did not charge him for the meal.

The story has brought national attention to Pendleton, who called the response "surreal."

On Friday, he said he was grateful to hear the chain would investigate how the snake got on his plate. Asked if he put it there, he replied: "Of course not."

"It didn't look like it had been cooked. It looked like it had been dead a long time," he said. "If they can go forward and figure out how it got there, that would be a good thing."

Pendleton said he has no intention of suing the eatery. He said he hadn't intended to make his find public, but he shared his cell phone photos of the snake's head with friends via e-mail. One of them sent it to the Web site the Consumerist, which led to other coverage, including a front-page story in Thursday's Times Union. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and has appeared in newspapers and on Web sites across the country.

On Friday, Pendleton said he was called by a radio host from Chicago for an interview.

"It's been a little surreal, just the level of attention this has gotten," he said.

Staff writer Tim O'Brien can be reached at 454-5092 or by e-mail at tobrien@timesunion.com.