A customer at a Texas Roadhouse in San Antonio, Texas, says she found something strange in her Dr Pepper.
According to Priscilla’s (@priscilla_1987) TikTok about her experience, she was disgusted by the unexpected find at the bottom of her glass.
But was the item as disgusting as she indicates? People in the comments suggest that, while the plastic bits in her drink shouldn’t have been there, it’s really not that uncommon. And it most likely isn’t a health hazard.
As of Sunday morning, her post has over 229,000 views.
What was in the Dr Pepper at Texas Roadhouse?
In Priscilla’s TikTok, she swirls her straw in a glass of soda. Roughly a quarter of the drink is gone.
She captions the post, “Went to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse in San Antonio TX and found this in my glass of Dr Pepper.”
At the bottom, you can see two plastic items, a large black one and a smaller white one.
“What the [expletive] is this,” she asks, later adding, “That is so gross. I was drinking this.”
In the background, a child can be heard saying, “This is our chance to get money.”
Another person dining at Texas Roadhouse with Priscilla recognized it right away. “It’s the thing from the soda,” they say.
Restaurant workers weigh in
People with experience in the food service industry agreed with Priscilla’s dining companion.
Many identified the items in her Dr Pepper as the nozzle and diffuser from a fountain soda machine.
How did it get there, though?
As some suggested, what likely happened is that the machine’s nozzles and diffusers were recently taken off, probably to be cleaned. Many restaurants require the nozzles and diffusers to be removed and cleaned at least on a daily basis.
Whoever replaced them may not have attached them properly or tightly enough. So when her server poured the Dr Pepper, it fell off in her drink. This happens rather frequently, but usually the server notices. Hers may have been busy or just not paying attention, maybe both.
“It’s the soda fountain nozzle and [diffuser],” one wrote on her post. “It probably fell off when they were pouring two drinks at the same time and didn’t notice. Multitasking is key for serving.”
Some suggested it’s actually a good sign.
“If it was loose that means it’s been recently cleaned and wasn’t tightened,” opined one person.
Another agreed, writing, “This is awful when it happens. But it means that they clean their drink machine. They just didn’t put it back together right.”
Others weren’t on the same page. One predicted that the nozzle and diffuser were “slimy and full of mold.”
Still others thought Priscilla should be compensated with a free meal or a gift card.
“Lil extra flavor!! Haha jk hopefully you got that meal comped,” wrote one.
Priscilla replied with a laughing emoji.
@priscilla_1987 #fypシ #texasroadhouse #nasty ♬ original sound – Priscilla
She didn’t immediately respond to a direct message sent via TikTok. Texas Roadhouse didn’t reply to an email sent Saturday morning.
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