McDonald’s Shut Over ‘Crack Pipe’ Found in Food Bag

A McDonald’s in Columbus, Ohio, has been temporarily closed after a customer complained of receiving what appeared to be a “crack pipe” in their drive-thru meal on Wednesday, according to local media.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that city health inspectors have given the outlet at 619 Harrisburg Pike, which sits on Route 63 to the southwest of the city, until January 4 to correct a number of violations they witnessed while attending the location following the complaint. WBNS also reported the restaurant had been ordered to close.

Newsweek approached Columbus Public Health via email for confirmation on Thursday. McDonald’s and the franchise owner, The Mendoza Company, were also contacted via email and direct message, respectively, for comment.

In an inspection report, seen by Newsweek, managers of the fast-food joint detailed the incident involving the alleged crack pipe, while public health officials said ongoing construction work at the store had left debris “heavily present throughout the facility.”

It said that around 9:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the customer ordered two breakfast meals, which were placed in a double-folded bag and passed through the drive-thru window. At 10:18 a.m., the customer returned to the drive-thru window “to advise that a crack pipe was found in [the] bag.”

A 20-year-old McDonald’s employee then went out to the vehicle to collect the customer’s details, but 12 minutes later the customer returned to the window on foot to inquire “about resolution.” The employee then contacted the police and the customer left the premises.

According to the public health inspection report, managers of the restaurant said the police did not respond to the report and that The Mendoza Company would update its employee manual “to address situations similar in nature to this incident.”

The customer allegedly posted on Reddit about their experience, saying they “didn’t get [a] refund” and had no intention to sue. They added: “Thankful it happened to me and not a kid.”

Officials who attended the McDonald’s store on Wednesday afternoon said they observed “heavy construction being performed on the restaurant seating area, front service counter, beverage service station” and construction workers “moving freely through the food prep areas and the customer seating area.”

They also noted that “debris, trash and dust” were present throughout the building and that a protective barrier had been removed when tiling work had begun on the service area had been done.

“Beverage service equipment such as [the] soda dispenser, frappuccino machine, frozen beverage dispenser, coffee machine had dust, debris, screws, unassembled computer equipment, wooden trim pieces on the top surfaces,” the report said, adding inspectors “observed personal cell phones on top of the grill.”

It recounted that managers said employees had been aware that “no personal items are allowed in the food service areas” aside from personal cell phones, which “must remain in pockets,” and that “no unauthorized individuals are allowed to be in food service areas.”