When you order food from a restaurant you trust, you don’t exactly inspect every bite. You sit down, unwrap your meal, and dig in, expecting the worst thing to be a missing side or soggy fries.
However, one family says a Cracker Barrel meal in Centerville, Ohio, deeply unsettled them beyond the usual annoyance of a missing dish. One member of the family, @leahpagett270, shared the story on TikTok, getting over 90,700 views.
Man Finds Dangerous Item in His Pinto Beans From Cracker Barrel
Leah starts the video by explaining that she rarely posts, but felt like this one needed to be said. She speaks directly to the restaurant.
“Cracker Barrel in Centerville, Ohio. Y’all better count your days,” she begins.
She explains that her dad loves Cracker Barrel’s pinto beans. That night, the family ordered carryout. With so many people eating, no one checked the order until they got home.
First, they noticed several items were missing. Her dad called, and Cracker Barrel allegedly told him they’d replace the missing food next time.
Then he sat down to eat.
“He eats part of his meal, and he goes to eat a side,” she says. “And we all audibly hear—” she mimics a crunch.
He immediately spit it out. The family saw six pieces of broken glass in the container, some of them with labels still attached.
“These are pieces of glass,” she says, showing a green screen image behind her. “Cane syrup, we assume. This is part of a syrup bottle that broke into his food.”
He May Have Swallowed More
Her dad wasn’t visibly injured, but the family doesn’t know whether he swallowed smaller pieces.
“He had swallowed multiple bites of this meal,” Leah says. “So we don’t know.”
He told them he was grateful it happened to him and not another family member, but Leah pushes back: “I don’t want it to happen to anyone. I wish it hadn’t happened to anyone.”
She also preemptively addresses people who might assume they brought the syrup bottle home themselves.
“We did get pancakes,” she says, “but we ordered the sugar-free syrup because my sister’s diabetic. It came in the little black plastic containers. We didn’t get any of the little syrup bottles.”
She adds, “This is their label,” while showing the shattered pieces on the screen.
Her dad called the restaurant to report what happened. The woman on the phone said she’d investigate, but didn’t ask for his name or number.
“Cracker Barrel in Centerville, Ohio, do better,” Leah says. “Because glass. Glass. In the food. The carryout food.”
In the caption, she wrote, “@Cracker Barrel what is this??? Y’all are trying to kill people out here!!!”
What Can They Do Next?
If the family wants to pursue action, there are a few steps they could take.
First, they should keep the food and packaging as evidence. Contacting a personal injury lawyer is one option.
Another would be reaching out to the local health department, as this could possibly trigger an inspection at the Centerville location and prevent someone else from getting hurt.
Cracker Barrel Responds in the Comments
A representative from Cracker Barrel commented under the video:
“We’re so sorry to hear about this experience. We immediately launched an investigation in-store to figure out what went wrong. Ensuring guest safety is our top priority, and we’re taking this matter seriously.”
What Should You Do if You Swallow Glass?
It depends on the size and shape of the piece. According to Poison.org, small pieces might pass through without causing symptoms. But sharper pieces can cause real damage to the throat, stomach, or intestines.
Signs of injury can include chest or abdominal pain, bloody stool, bloating, or fever. If someone swallows glass and shows no symptoms, doctors may suggest waiting and watching. Eating fiber, like white bread or bran, might help it move through safely. But if symptoms show up, it becomes an emergency.
@leahpagett270 @Cracker Barrel what is this??? Yall are trying to kill people out here!!! #greenscreen #crackerbarrel #glass #glassinfood ♬ original sound – leahpagett270
Commenters Had a Lot to Say
“I am so anti-sue usually,” one person wrote, “BUT PLEASE SUE.”
Another added, “My jaw dropped when you showed us them all. The labels are lucky because it confirms it came from the restaurant and not something you added at home.”
Someone else warned her about downplaying the situation: “You can’t say he’s not injured—you have no idea yet. Their lawyers will use that against you.”
Others urged the family to act fast.
“Go to the ER immediately and get imaging in case there are shards that were consumed,” one person said. “Even the smallest piece could puncture part of his upper or lower GI and cause sepsis quickly.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to Cracker Barrel via email and to @leahpagett270 via TikTok messages for comment.
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