DES MOINES, Iowa -- Urban myth e-mail messages can travel quickly and leave businesses in damage-control mode.
A central Iowa restaurant is coping with the fallout of a hoax e-mail this week. Recent e-mails mention the the Olive Garden in West Des Moines, which often has a waiting list. But lately, calls to the restaurant have not been about seating.
"They're obviously calling to ask us about the rumor," said Steve Coe, director of public relations for Darden Restaurants in Orlando, Fla., the company that owns the Olive Garden.
The e-mail stated that a customer sent her food back to the kitchen and that two days later, the girl woke up with syphilis in her mouth. A doctor tested the leftover food and found body fluids on it, according to the e-mail.
The Iowa Department of Public Health said there is no way is that e-mail is true.
"You could just look at it and say, 'Gee, I think some teenager sat around and tried to make up the grossest story they could make up and this is what they came up with,'" said state epidemiologist Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.
Retired Drake University professor Dean Wright said urban legends like this one are popular in every culture and that they have been around for a long time.
The e-mail urban legend happens to target a specific place.
"The probability is that the people who started it got angry about something that happened there and began the rumors," Wright said.
A manager at the Olive Garden said employees are continuing to reassure concerned customers that the rumor is false.
Health officials said the Olive Garden has a clean record and that there is no cause for concern.
"I think one of the sad things is they realize that they can actually cause harm to people or businesses when they make some of this stuff up," Quinlisk said.
Quinlisk said that if someone gets one of these e-mails in their inbox, they should delete it. She said further spreading the rumor can needlessly scare people and become hurtful to a legitimate business.
A central Iowa restaurant is coping with the fallout of a hoax e-mail this week. Recent e-mails mention the the Olive Garden in West Des Moines, which often has a waiting list. But lately, calls to the restaurant have not been about seating.
"They're obviously calling to ask us about the rumor," said Steve Coe, director of public relations for Darden Restaurants in Orlando, Fla., the company that owns the Olive Garden.
The e-mail stated that a customer sent her food back to the kitchen and that two days later, the girl woke up with syphilis in her mouth. A doctor tested the leftover food and found body fluids on it, according to the e-mail.
The Iowa Department of Public Health said there is no way is that e-mail is true.
"You could just look at it and say, 'Gee, I think some teenager sat around and tried to make up the grossest story they could make up and this is what they came up with,'" said state epidemiologist Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.
Retired Drake University professor Dean Wright said urban legends like this one are popular in every culture and that they have been around for a long time.
The e-mail urban legend happens to target a specific place.
"The probability is that the people who started it got angry about something that happened there and began the rumors," Wright said.
A manager at the Olive Garden said employees are continuing to reassure concerned customers that the rumor is false.
Health officials said the Olive Garden has a clean record and that there is no cause for concern.
"I think one of the sad things is they realize that they can actually cause harm to people or businesses when they make some of this stuff up," Quinlisk said.
Quinlisk said that if someone gets one of these e-mails in their inbox, they should delete it. She said further spreading the rumor can needlessly scare people and become hurtful to a legitimate business.
