Upscale Myrtle Beach restaurant featured on ‘Chef Swap’ TV show at center of choking lawsuit

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The owner of an upscale Grand Strand seafood restaurant featured on The Cooking Channel’s “Chef Swap at the Beach” is denying allegations that a foreign object inside one of its dishes caused a violent choking episode last year.

An Aug. 29 lawsuit filed by Tiffany and Kevin Buddington names Heidi’s Corner Restaurant Group and its Hook & Barrel brand as co-defendants, suing on grounds including negligence and product liability.

According to the complaint, the Buddingtons went to dinner at Hook & Barrel on Sept. 21, 2023, where Tiffany ordered a bowl of she crab soup.

“While eating her soup, Mrs. Buddington felt a sharp, painful sensation in her throat and began to choke. Mr. Buddington quickly administered the Heimlich maneuver on his wife, causing Mrs. Buddington to spit out a metal bobby pin,” the complaint says. “A second, identical bobby pin was later discovered and surgically removed from her stomach.”

An X-ray image taken at Grand Strand Medical Center and included in the lawsuit shows the object in her stomach.

News13 reached out to Heidi’s Restaurant Group and Hook & Barrel by email on Tuesday and didn’t immediately hear back, but the company denied the claims in its response, also filed Tuesday in Horry County Common Pleas Court.

“Defendant admits only that Tiffany and Kevin Buddington were on the premises of Hook & Barrel .. on or about the date of the allegations,” the company’s attorneys said. “Any remaining and/or inconsistent statements .. are denied as stated and strict proof demanded thereof.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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