McDonald’s apologizes after serving cleaning fluid in a latte
Public Relations

McDonald’s apologizes after serving cleaning fluid in a latte – Info PR

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When does a local story become a national crisis?

Some mistakes are so boneheaded—or inspire enough fear in consumers—that
the story will spread far beyond its local origins. That was the case for
McDonald’s when a Canadian franchise served a customer a cup of
solution instead of a latte.

The Huffington Post reported:

Sarah Douglas of Lethbridge, Alberta, was on her way to her son’s baseball
tournament when she went to a McDonald’s drive-through for a latte.

It wasn’t until she was on the highway that she suspected something was
wrong, she told the
Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

“I immediately had to put my hazard lights on and pull over and spit it out
and rinse my mouth out with … water,” Douglas said. “I opened up the lid
of the coffee and out pours this pungent smell of chemical. It wasn’t a
latte at all.”

McDonald’s did not issue a national response, but local franchise operator
Dan Brown gave a statement:

Since learning about the complaint, our team has been in very close
contact with the guest and apologized to her. The health inspector also
visited my restaurant and is not investigating further.


McDonald’s is renowned for its food safety protocols and I am sorry
that this happened in my restaurant here in Lethbridge.


What happened is that the machine was being cleaned—as it is every
morning. Unfortunately, the milk supply line was connected to the
cleaning solution while this guest’s drink was made.


We have taken immediate action to review the proper cleaning procedures
with the team and have put additional signage up as an added reminder.

[FREE GUIDE: 3 things you (probably) didn’t know about crisis communications]

Newsweek
unearthed tweets suggesting that the machine mix-up wasn’t an isolated
incident:

The tweets corroborate the story of Douglas, who says an employee told her
the mistake had been made before.

Newsweek reported:

“The supervisor went and got the bottle that was hooked up to it and
brought it over to the counter, and I took a picture of it, so I knew what
I was working with—what I had consumed so I could talk to 811 and poison
control.

“I took a picture of it and then another co-worker of his had also
overheard what had been going on, and was a little bit upset at the
situation and said that this had happened before. And she was a little mad
that it was occurring again.”

The pattern of the mistake might be what has caused the story to break
through, coupled with fact that Douglas is pregnant. Crisis communicators
know they can’t predict what will cause a story to go viral, which is why
it’s crucial to be prepared.

On social media, users shared their shock at Douglas’ situation:

Others remarked on the many ways the chain’s reputation has taken a hit in recent weeks:

Still others hoped McDonald’s would get slapped with a lawsuit:

Some seemed unfazed by the news:

Others went back in time to look at McDonald’s history of poor coffee service, including the famous lawsuit after a 79-year-old patron received third-degree burns from a spilled coffee:

How would you respond, PR Daily readers?

(Image via)


Article Prepared by Ollala Corp

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