A Chipotle Mexican Grill customer says he bit into a chicken burrito and chipped his tooth on a half-inch-long metal nail.

Nicolas Ramos of Malden, Massachusetts, went to a Chipotle in nearby Saugus on Thursday, but got a surprise a few bites in, according to Wicked Local Saugus. He told the cashier who gave him back his money and apologized, plus he informed the company via its website.

Ramos posted pictures of the food on Facebook with a brief explanation of what had happened to him.

“Now, there’s a hairline crack up my front tooth and a chip out of my bottom tooth,” Ramos told the local news website, adding that he initially thought what he'd bitten into was overcooked chicken. “It hurts whenever I eat or try to bite something.”

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Ramos is a regular customer at Chipotle, but now is considering going elsewhere for burritos, Wicked Local Saugus reported.

"Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our guests and we take all claims very seriously," Chipotle said in a statement. "We immediately issued a refund following the incident and have spoken with the guest to set up a claim; however, we still intend to do a full investigation."

The news comes as Chipotle is working to polish its image. In the last five weeks, it has offered up a Rose Parade float on New Year's Day and holiday window displays in Midtown Manhattan -- both fashioned out of ingredients served in Chipotle restaurants.

In the summer, nearly 650 customers fell ill after eating at one of its Ohio locations. The incident prompted the company to announce in August that it would retrain all its restaurant workers across the U.S. in food safety. And in October, the brand's head of food safety announced he would retire in 2019.

But 2018 wasn't the first year Chipotle has dealt with food safety issues. In 2017, a small norovirus outbreak was linked to a Chipotle restaurant in Virginia, a Dallas Chipotle was temporarily shuttered due to rodent sightings and customers of a Los Angeles location reported getting sick.

Two years early, two E. coli outbreaks made a total of 60 people in 14 states ill, including 22 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also that year were norovirus outbreaks tied to Chipotle locations in California and Massachusetts.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chipotle customer bit into metal nail in his burrito, chipped a tooth: Report