A McDonald’s outlet in Ohio, US was shut down after a customer found drug paraphernalia in his takeout order. The customer first posted about the incident anonymously on Reddit, saying he reached the McDonald’s outlet in the city of Columbus on Tuesday morning and ordered two breakfast meals via the drive-thru window.
Around one hour later, the customer returned to McDonald’s, having found a crack pipe in his bag of food. A crack pipe is typically used for smoking crack cocaine, a narcotic banned for recreational use in virtually all countries of the world.
A 20-year-old McDonald’s employee went to the customer’s vehicle to collect his details, as per Newsweek. However, the customer declined a refund and reported his find to Franklin County Public Health.
Health officials closed the McDonald’s on Wednesday after finding several health code violations, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The inspector’s report said construction workers were found moving freely through the restaurant, leaving “construction dust on surfaces of food preparation counters, equipment and flooring.”
“Beverage service equipment such as soda dispenser, frappucino machine, frozen beverage dispenser, coffee machine had dust, debris, screws, unassembled computer equipment, wooden trim pieces on the top surfaces,” the report stated. “There was no protective barrier between the construction area and the food service area,” it added.
Alex Mendoza, owner of the local McDonald's franchisee, told Newsweek that the restaurant’s closure had nothing to do with the crack pipe.
“We've undertaken a thorough internal review of the customer's claim. After reviewing security footage and interviewing employees, we've found nothing that suggests this item came from the restaurant—but we are continuing to investigate and have contacted local law enforcement to report the matter,” he said.
The outlet has until January 3 to correct the health code violations it has been accused of.
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