Columbus McDonald’s closed temporarily after customer reported a crack pipe in food bag

Let’s just say…this customer got the opposite of a Happy Meal.

Earlier this week, a Columbus Redditor who goes by “ltibbs” posted that they found a crack pipe in their to-go order at McDonald’s.

This person told 614Now that he went to pick up some breakfast with his girlfriend at the McDonald’s located at 619 Harrisburg Pike, and when he received his order, he noticed a used crack pipe just laying there in the bag, along with his steak bagel, hash browns, holiday pie, and McMuffin. “I brought it back to McDonald’s to show the manager, and he kept insisting that no one was smoking crack.”

This customer wasn’t looking for a refund, but just wanted to inform the manager of what happened. “I’ve been thinking and thinking why someone would try to hide it in my McDonald’s bag, or what are the odds of it falling out of an employee’s pocket and in the bag, and I just can’t figure it out,” he explained.

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Fellow Redditors suggested that ltibbs should call the health department and file a complaint, and so he did. This initial complaint led health inspectors to check out the McDonald’s, and due to a failed inspection, this McDonald’s is now temporarily closed. 

“We sent our inspectors out for a complaint inspection as we do with all complaints we get,” confirmed Kelli Newman from Columbus Public Health.

“Upon completion of our complaint inspection, Columbus Public Health closed the McDonalds at 619 Harrisburg Pike due to failure to protect equipment and food from contamination…the inspectors found the front areas of the facility under construction without adequate protection of the kitchen areas, and that is why it was closed,” Newman explained.

Notably, the inspectors didn’t find any crack pipes, but according to the report, they did find:

• Construction dust on surfaces of food preparation counters, equipment and flooring.
• Food not protected from environmental sources of contamination during preparation.
• Construction debris (wooden trim boards, loose screws, unassembled computer equipment, wiring, tubing and tools) on top of food service equipment and prep areas.
• There were persons unnecessary to the operation present in restricted areas.
• Heavy construction being performed on the restaurant seating area and front service counter and beverage service station. Construction workers were moving freely through the food prep areas and the customer seating area.

This McDonald’s has until January 3rd to comply with the health code violations. Until then, it’s closed. Here’s the full report:

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