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Howard Student Makes a Fishy Discover

 

Maria Chachere used to visit the McDonald’s on Georgia Ave. daily.  Now she refuses to go back after being served a molded .99 cent-fish sandwich last month.

“I was so upset that day, because when I went to go sit down and eat, there were little kids that were eating the same buns,” said Chachere, an allied health major. “I went to go tell the manager. He offered to replace the sandwich. However, I could not believe that the manager offered me another sandwich without checking to see if the other buns were in similar condition.”

Chachere says the only way she’ll order something from that McDonald’s again is if every other restaurant on Georgia Avenue is closed.

“I have got to be passed out from starvation if I did go back inside McDonald’s, and I would order the chicken nuggets definitely nothing with bread,” she said.

Chachere called the Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Service Division of the DC Department of Health that day, and they told her they were going to send an inspector to the McDonald’s.  She also spoke with the district manager Ruben Perez on the phone, who she says followed up with her after two to three days.

“He was actually helpful and nice unlike the other manager on duty,” she said.  “He thanked me for calling. He said he was going to go out first thing in the morning to have a meeting with the management team.”

She was determined to make sure her voice was heard.

“I am passionate about what happened to me that day, because my professor had just lectured in class about bacterial culture,” she said.  “Secondly, I worked in a restaurant environment before, and I have seen what goes on behind the scenes when they are preparing food. Thirdly, my friends have said ‘I work at McDonald’s but I don’t eat there.'”

The incident at McDonald’s has moved Chachere to try other restaurants on Georgia Avenue.

“I am very happy now, because the experience has helped me broaden my horizon,” she said.