A Roanoke man has sued a local Burger King franchise for $650,000, claiming he found a rodent tail in his Whopper sandwich.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in Roanoke Circuit Court, Edward M. Marquez of Southwest Roanoke alleges that he found the tail in his burger during an Aug. 29 visit to the Burger King restaurant at 2626 Franklin Road S.W.

A manager at the restaurant referred questions to the franchise office, ERW Inc., in Blacksburg. Officials there declined to comment.

The lawsuit says that Marquez went into the restaurant about 4:30 p.m. and ordered a Whopper, french fries and a soft drink.

According to the lawsuit, Marquez took two bites of his sandwich, noticed a "foreign object" and pulled what looked like a rodent's tail from his mouth. He spat out the sandwich and alerted the employees, the suit says.

Marquez alleges that employees tried to convince him the object was a mushroom, onion or rubber band. After much argument, they filled out a report reflecting his complaint, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges that Burger King's own testing determined the object was a rodent tail. The suit demands $300,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

Neither Marquez nor his attorney, Joel Miller, could be reached for comment Friday.