Carletta Andrews is still recovering after being traumatized after a snake fell from the ceiling of a Mexican restaurant in Henrico County and into her margarita.
Soon after she and her husband had finished their meal at Sandston’s Patron Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, she felt something on her forehead, turning what should have been a lovely night out with her spouse into something straight out of a horror movie.
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She told 8News, “I leaned in to take a sip and I noticed something hit me in the forehead and I looked at my husband like what was that. When I turned around, I saw the snake in my margarita.”
“It was moving. It started wrapping around my straw,” she stated.
Andrews can’t remember much after that. Another customer took the tiny snake and released it outside, she recalled, while restaurant staff tried to remove it with a stick.
She recalled: “I kept saying please don’t let it go in my purse. I left shaking, I was traumatized.”
The restaurant offered to shift her to a booth, but Andrews said she just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
She shared the snake’s photo and a description of what happened on social media while still in shock, and the replies ranged from horror to disbelief to even denial.
Though she still wants answers, Andrews explained that she and others are shocked by how well she handled the incident.
The restaurant’s owner said that he was aware of the situation when 8News contacted him. He added the snake most likely entered the eatery through the air conditioning unit. When asked what measures were in place to prevent this from happening to another consumer, he answered, “Nothing.”
The outlet also contacted the Virginia Department of Health to obtain earlier inspection reports.
Several infractions were discovered by inspectors during a regular inspection in December 2024, including mold, broken handles, missing ceiling tiles in the dish room, cracked floor tiles throughout the kitchen, and leaky ceiling tiles.
According to records, however, these issues were addressed during a six-day follow-up inspection.
Meanwhile, Andrews believes that something needs to be done to avoid another person from being scarred.
“If that was the baby — I fear…. is the mom there?”
