A fast-food restaurant was found with a nasty bug infestation after a woman found a cockroach in her food and posted about it on social media.
Inspectors revealed the gross conditions when they visited Slim Chickens, an eatery in Pensacola, Florida, which has been around for 20 years.
It was reported that the restaurant had never violated health codes or received a complaint until this incident.
Haile Kirkland, the customer who found the bug, said she'd only taken a few bites before noticing it.
She later received videos from an employee showing multiple cockroaches in the kitchen.
No less than 20 dead roaches were found in the shop's kitchen during an inspection on Tuesday, February 21, while authorities said a follow-up inspection on the next day found no violations.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspected the store after receiving an enquiry from the local news outlet WEAR News.
"At first I thought it was a burnt spot," customer Haile Kirkland said. "And then when I picked it up I said, 'That's a whole bug'."
Kirkland said they only took a few bites before noticing.
"I probably ate one or two of my tenders and then my husband sat his food down and he was like, 'Here check my food', and it was in his food," Kirkland said. "And I was like 'Oh great'."
In a post on Facebook, she said: "Had a cockroach cooked into my chicken at Slim Chickens on 9 mile in Pensacola and the manager could care less.
"He said oops sorry like what do you want a refund or something. Very disgusting and unprofessional. Get your s*** together people."
The owner of Slim Chickens said that they contacted pest control and the shop was being treated daily since the incident.
Mrs Kirkland received a full refund for her food, as well as over $100 (£83) in gift cards, including $50 (£41) to Slim Chickens.
After the repercussions, she said that returning to the restaurant one day is not out of the question.
In a statement, Slim Chickens said they are investigating the issue.
The statement read: "Slim Chickens corporation is aware of the complaint at locally owned Pensacola store and we have begun an investigation into the issue.
"Our local franchisee responded swiftly to the social post to ensure all health & safety precautions were evaluated and implemented at the Pensacola location. The franchisee met with the local pest elimination company the following morning at the restaurant to thoroughly inspect the premises and provide further pest elimination treatment.
"All pest activity has been resolved and the pest control company will continue to come out weekly to monitor and provide additional treatments as needed.
"The local Health Inspector arrived on Wednesday 2/22 and approved the location with no issues or violations. The franchisee is continuing to work with the local Health Inspector and provide full access to ensure the quality of our food and guest experience."
