A New Jersey woman received a gut-wrenching surprise Thursday morning when she arrived home with her nearly 3-year-old-son, unwrapped a...
A New Jersey woman received a gut-wrenching surprise Thursday morning when she arrived home with her nearly 3-year-old-son, unwrapped a Dunkin' Donuts breakfast sandwich she bought minutes earlier and began to eat.
"I opened it up, took a bite and a live maggot came out of my mouth and fell on the table," Krystle Platzer recounted in a phone interview Friday morning.
The horrified 34-year-old Brick resident took a closer look and found several other critters, including a worm, larvae, flies and a gnat on the bacon, egg and cheese croissant she purchased at the Dunkin' Donuts on Route 88 in Lakewood.
To make matters worse, her toddler had been so hungry that he ate most of a different bacon, egg and cheese croissant from Dunkin' on their ride home. While Platzer said she has no idea if the sandwich he ate also contained bugs, the toddler has shown no signs of being sick nearly 24 hours later.
"Absolutely disgusting," said Platzer, who generated a robust response on social media after she shared video and photos of the foul-looking sandwich on Facebook. "Unacceptable. I never want to eat out again."
Dunkin' Donuts said the owner has apologized to Platzer. "Upon learning of the complaint, we immediately dispatched a certified Operations Manager from Dunkin’ to the store to confirm all food safety and quality standards are being followed," the company said in an emailed statement. "The franchisee who owns and operates the store has confirmed he has met with the guest to resolve the matter and apologize for the poor experience."
A man who identified himself as the manager of the Dunkin' Donuts location said, "No comment, no comment," before ending a call from NJ Advance Media Friday morning.
Platzer said her morning started out normally enough. She was on her way home with her son just after 10 a.m. and decided to visit the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru for a couple of sandwiches. Platzer was on the phone with her mother so she simply handed the money to a female employee working at the window, handed the sandwich to her son and drove home.
"He was screaming and hungry so I passed it back to him," Platzer said. "I would have never even thought to look."
After discovering the bugs at home, Platzer said she contacted the Ocean County Health Department and then the store owner. A couple of hours later, the owner agreed to speak to Platzer with a Lakewood police officer present.
When she showed the manager the sandwich and receipt, Platzer said the owner agreed to "look into" how the bugs got in there and check the store's security cameras. The owner didn't offer her a refund, according to Platzer. "He asked me, 'do you want me to get the baby Munchkins or a drink?'"
Platzer, who typically stops at that Dunkin' Donuts at least once a week, declined the offer. She hasn't heard back from the department of health about her unpleasant experience, but said she wanted to let others know to be on the lookout.
"You can't have stuff like that," Platzer said, adding that a slice of bacon on her sandwich was raw. "They need to check the temperature of their machines. People need to handle food properly or not work. "
Dunkin' Donuts said it does those things. "At Dunkin’, food safety is a top priority and nothing is more important to us than our franchisees operating clean and safe restaurants," the statement said.
Lakewood police said Platzer contacted them but asked they take no action. The Ocean County Department of Health also couldn't immediately be reached for an update.
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