‘I paid my bill of $36 and left’: SC woman spotted opossum inside restaurant during meal

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Customers at a Columbia area restaurant recently received an unexpected visit at the bar.

A South Carolina woman says she and her family noiticed an opossum under the counter at Applebee’s on Fernandina Road Friday night.

Needless to say, the woman was less than thrilled by the possum’s appearance.

“I paid my bill of $36 and left,” she said in the post. “However, I should have been compensated for this meal. Who knows how long he was inside of the restaurant?”

Since being posted on Facebook on Monday, the post has received more than 1,000 comments and has been shared more than 1,500 times.

WIS has reached out to Applebee’s regarding the incident. Officials with the company provided the following statement:

The safety of our guests and team members, as well as the cleanliness of our restaurants is a priority at Applebee’s. This isolated incident occurred following a heavy rain. Immediately when the animal entered the restaurant, the team acted fast to contact animal control, which was able to safely and quickly remove it from the restaurant. The team then took extra measures to thoroughly clean and disinfect the impacted area.

WIS reached out to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control regarding the incident as well and officials provided the following statement:

“We received a complaint regarding this on Tuesday (6/11) and we have been in contact with the facility’s management. In a case such as this, the animal must be removed, all impacted food items must be thrown out and the area is required to be cleaned and sanitized.”

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