Texas Woman Files Suit Against Torchy’s Tacos After Alleged Cow Tooth Discovery

A Texas woman’s meal took an unexpected turn when she allegedly found a cow tooth in her taco. This incident has led to a lawsuit against Torchy’s Tacos, a popular restaurant chain. The discovery was confirmed by the company.

Nohemi Castillo claims she nearly swallowed the tooth while eating takeout from the chain’s South Congress Avenue location in Austin on June 9. The lawsuit was filed in Travis County District Court on October 13. The order included the chain’s ‘Democrat’ tacos, notably not listing a cow tooth as an ingredient.

Torchy’s Tacos confirmed the unusual finding in a statement to Austin TV station KVUE, stating their investigation affirmed that the object was a cow tooth. ‘Upon receiving the guest complaint, we conducted a thorough review and identified the item as a cow tooth,’ the company explained. ‘This can happen during meat processing, though it is rare.’

The restaurant noted that their barbacoa is made from natural beef cheek sourced from a supplier. Measures have been implemented to avoid similar occurrences in the future. ‘We have partnered with our supplier to reinforce internal procedures to prevent this from happening again,’ they detailed.

Castillo’s attorney, Scott Vasquez, shared that the company only acknowledged the object was a cow tooth after the media reported the story in October, four months post-incident. He provided additional photos showing the tooth alongside a tape measure. Another image depicted the object on aluminum foil next to taco meat.

A witness statement, supplied by Castillo’s attorney, narrates the incident during an ordinary lunch. ‘As we were eating, I heard an ‘awww!’ When I turned to Nohemi, she was pulling something from her mouth and said, “I think it’s a bone,”‘ described the witness.

The lawsuit alleges Castillo suffered physical pain, mental anguish, and medical expenses due to the discovery. Castillo is suing Torchy’s Tacos and Success Foods Management Group, claiming the defendants failed to properly prepare, inspect, and distribute the food. Allegations also include inadequate monitoring of the meat supplier and breaching implied warranties of food safety, along with violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal food safety standards.

Castillo argues she would have either not purchased the meal or inspected it more thoroughly if aware of the issue. She seeks monetary relief of $250,000 or less, with the final amount to be decided by a jury.

Attorney Vasquez mentioned awareness of other individuals reporting similar encounters with Torchy’s, but those accounts have yet to be verified independently. He described the company’s previous responses as limited and shifting responsibility.

Torchy’s maintains they handled the complaint with seriousness and conducted a detailed review. ‘We are aware of the situation and take all concerns about our food seriously,’ the company informed KVUE.