Chick-Fil-A Employee Served Cleaning Solution Instead Of Coffee: Lawsuit

According to a lawsuit filed against Chick-fil-A a couple of months ago, the details of which were made public recently, an outlet of the company in Georgia served a customer cleaning solution instead of coffee.

The incident took place in March at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in 275 Eagles Landing Parkway, Stockbridge, Georgia, where a restaurant worker mistakenly poured cleaning solution into a female customer’s cup from a pitcher that was different from the one that contained coffee. The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 24 in the Fulton County State Court, AJC reported.

Peavy Law paralegal Corinne Anderson, one of the lawyers who represents the plaintiff, said the woman quickly realized that her order of a coffee refill tasted different from the beverage she was expecting.

“It didn’t take long for our client to realize something was wrong with the coffee and she quickly informed the Chick-fil-A employees,” Anderson said. “Not long after unknowingly ingesting the cleaning solution [Urnex/TABZ], she started having intestinal issues and discomfort in her throat, and started seeing gastroenterologists.”

The lawsuit further said Chick-fil-A “has admitted an employee gave the Plaintiff a drink that was contaminated with cleaning solution.” Paul White, the owner of the franchise where the incident took place, stressed the fact that upholding “food safety and quality” were top priorities for the restaurant.

“We are aware of the complaint and are currently investigating,” White said through a spokesman. “Because this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Anderson said the company representatives had discovered a video of the incident and hence there wasn’t a question of whether her client’s claims were true. Chick-fil-A also offered to pay the medical bills of the plaintiff, which amounted to more than $3,890, as she continued to receive treatment, following the ordeal.

However, Anderson added that despite the company’s offer, the amount did not cover the “mental and physical suffering” endured by her client nor the requirements, if any, of any future treatments. Hence, the final amount had to be determined by a trial, she said.

This was not the first time that a fast food customer’s coffee order had been accidentally replaced by cleaning solution. Back in August, a pregnant woman was served cleaning solution instead of her order of a latte at a McDonald’s restaurant in Canada.

Sarah Douglas picked up her “coffee” from a drive-thru outlet of the company and after taking a sip of the beverage inside the cup, realized it was not what she had ordered.

“I immediately had to put my hazard lights on and pull over and spit it out and rinse my mouth out with… water,” Douglas told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “I opened up the lid of the coffee and out pours this pungent smell of chemical. It wasn’t a latte at all.”

When she informed the outlet of the error, the employees found that the coffee machine was hooked up to a cleaning line that went into the milk dispenser. McDonald’s franchise owner Dan Brown apologized to the woman for the mistake and released the following statement:

“McDonald's is renowned for its food safety protocols and I am sorry that this happened in my restaurant,” he said. “We have taken immediate action to review the proper cleaning procedures with the team and have put additional signage up as an added reminder.”