Please be aware, that with each order placed by a uniformed law enforcement officer or otherwise surly patron, food comes with a ‘Buyer Beware warning,’ as food may contain spit, broken glass, cockroaches or some other undesirable condiment; so announces the Burger King drive-thru cashier clerk to potential customers.
Of course, the ‘buyer alert’ scenario is an attempt to make light of an incident that happens more frequently than we care to think; a disgruntled food service employee takes out his or her frustrations on an unsuspecting customer, and adds a potentially life threatening ingredient to a food order.
Most recently this happened to an on duty Clark County Deputy Edward Bylsma, who after placing an order noticed suspicious behavior of two Burger King employees servicing his order. Who knows whether Deputy Bylsmas’ police training or that sixth sense all humans have that tells us something is not quite right; Deputy Bylsma paid for the food and upon inspection found a glob of spit on his burger. Deputy Bylsma had a DNA test done on the offensive body fluid, and it was confirmed that Burger King employee, Gary Herb was the culprit. Herb pled guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Deputy Bylsma has since filed a lawsuit against Burger Kings’owner, Kaizen Food Inc. It was later discovered that another Burger King employee on duty March 29, 2009, the same night Deputy Bylsma purchased the contaminated food, may have hepatitis.
Then there’s another case of a Burger King employee behaving badly in the news; Glenn Goodwin, a Cleveland truck driver, also claims a Pennsylvania Burger King employee spat on his food in November 2008. Goodwin contends the state police investigated and confirmed saliva on his food. Goodwin, who is Black, has filed a discrimination lawsuit because the offending employee is White.
Not to disparage all Burger King workers, but with two highly publicized Burger King “special order items” incidents in the news, one has to wonder about their hiring standards. But what is to be expected when the mascot of Burger King, that creepy King, is seen in its latest commercials stealing McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin recipe and going on a rampage in an insane asylum.
Here’s a helpful suggestion to Burger King executives; ditch the King unless you want the face of your business to be that of a thief who should be in a mental institution. And finally, to attract more quality people, pay your employees above the market standards and follow up with a good training program.
Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20002566-504083.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6170777-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
ww.allbusiness.com/legal/legal-services-lawyers/14241621-1.html
http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucsontales/2009/09/06/spit-in-food-happens-more-than-you-think/
http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-steals-mcdonalds-recipe-2010-4
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/04/06/ad-rant-mental-health-advocates-not-so-nuts-about-cheesy-burger/
