Grubhub, Jersey Mike's sued after customer finds dentures in sandwich

A Grubhub customer in New Jersey is suing the food delivery service after he found dentures in his Jersey Mike's sandwich.

Fernando Rodriguez, who filed the civil complaint on May 28 in Middlesex County, accuses Grubhub and Jersey Mike's of negligence after he received the delivery order in question on April 27, 2025. According to the complaint obtained by USA TODAY, Rodriguez's order was prepared, packaged, sealed, and/or secured by Jersey Mike’s and assigned to a Grubhub driver.

Once at Rodriguez's residence in Bayville, located about an hour from Trenton, the "food appeared packaged and sealed with scotch tape," the complaint reads. However, upon opening and consuming the food, he found dentures "embedded within the sandwich."

"The presence of dentures inside the food rendered the food contaminated, unsafe,adulterated, and unfit for human consumption," the lawsuit states, adding that Rodriguez allegedly experienced "extreme shock, disgust, emotional distress, nausea, loss of appetite,and physical revulsion" as a result of the incident.

In a statement emailed to USA TODAY on June 26, Grubhub said, "We were troubled by this report, as it doesn't reflect the high standard of service our customers expect. We can confirm the individual is no longer contracted to deliver with Grubhub."

USA TODAY contacted Jersey Mike's on Friday, but has not received an immediate response.

How did dentures get into Rodriguez's sandwich?

According to the lawsuit, Rodriguez believes the Grubhub worker delivering his Jersey Mike's order "opened, tampered with, handled, transported, and/or otherwise interfered with the food packaging and contents in an unsafe and unsanitary manner during the delivery process."

The driver "negligently caused her dentures" to become embedded within Rodriguez's sandwich, the complaint reads.

"A reasonable food delivery driver would recognize that opening sealed food packagingand handling food in an unsanitary manner creates a foreseeable risk of contaminationand harm to the consumer," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit further alleges Grubhub does not properly screen, supervise, train or monitor its delivery drivers. Regarding Jersey Mike's, the complaint says the chain should have safeguarded the sandwich in a sanitary and tamper-resistant manner.

Rodriguez and his attorneys are demanding a jury trial.

Jersey Mike's dethrones Chick-fil-A as top fast food chain

Rodriguez's lawsuit was filed a few weeks before Jersey Mike's dethroned Chick-fil-A as the top-rated quick-service restaurant, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which rates eateries based on thousands of customer surveys reflecting on recent experiences with major chains.

Chick-fil-A's 11-year run at the top ended, with results from 16,464 respondents knocking the popular chicken chain from its coveted spot in favor of sandwich shop Jersey Mike's, which was commended for its freshness, food variety and value.

Securing an ACSI score of 84 out of 100, Jersey Mike's bested Chick-fil-A by one point after adding 238 net new locations in 2025 and clearing $4.2 billion in sales.

"The U.S. restaurant industry faced difficulties in 2025, with total sales struggling to keep pace with inflation," said the report published June 16. "In a market defined by trade-offs, customers are placing greater emphasis on consistency, reliability, and perceived value as opposed to just price. Brands that deliver a consistently enjoyable experience are gaining ground."

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge/ USA TODAY