Hey there, tecomsin!

I am very sorry to catch up here and to learn of your difficulties with this meal company.

Personally, I think they are blowing you off, for which I am very sorry.
I used to be a corporate business manager to a large chain of restaurants. If anyone, and I do mean anyone, had any problem, any problem at all. we not only comped all meals at the table, we also gave a gift certificate for each person at the table to visit again, at no charge. No exceptions, unless an exception was made to comp the guests even more for some reason.

The way I look at this is: Food businesses are responsible for the safety of the food they serve, always. Always. No exceptions. Now, there may be some time when things are not up to par. It is more likely the issue(s) are rather chronic. Have you ever reviewed the State Health Inspection Reports on area restaurants? All of the area reports are published in the local papers here. The very same establishments continue to fail or have extremely low scores.. It tends to change only if: the restaurant has been penalized by being shut down for awhile and/or if the establishment changes hands. They have every opportunity and lots of incentives to do better, yet they do not.

I may be too hard on these establishments? I don't think so, from my point of view. It takes a lot for restaurants to meet all of the expectations of the State Board of Health and to pass the inspections with flying colors. Yet, the businesses highly invested in doing well and in keeping things healthy and safe, pass with flying colors, over and over again! Just as the same places fail, over and over again.

I might be more likely to understand IF tecomsin's meal was heated at a commercial garage while she was awaiting a car repair, or some other similar situation.

All kitchens, even those of very small home-based companies, must pass strict inspections. There is no reason, whatsoever,for there to be any contaminant or any foreign body in anyone's food. If it happens anyway, the establishment/business involved had better be falling all over itself showing both concern and remorse.

The consumer and the restaurant/food service are free to settle the issue on their own, of course.
There may be reasons, of which I am not aware, as to why some people may be reticent to report such experiences to health officials.
(For instance it is entirely possible someone has been a long-time patron of an establishment and knows, beyond any reasonable doubt, that such an incident is definitely an aberration from how business is usually conducted. There may be other reasons, as well. I am seeing this from the viewpoint/standards of a highly dedicated food business manager looking out for the health and the overall welfare of all customers, at all times No exceptions.)

In either case, the company involved should be showing a huge amount of responsibility, a boatload of concern, for the health and welfare of the customer(s) and a great deal of concern for the ways in which other customers might be affected/protected. If not, they are blowing the whole incident, and their responsibilities, off entirely.

I hope both of you, tecomsin and fern, never have similar experiences. It's very disheartening, to say the least.

(Believe it or not, the experiences you have both endured are the nightmare of responsible food service staff, managers and of corporate offices. Many will respond accordingly, especially in the current days of internet reviews, etc.)