Diner spots cockroach crawling out from under Little Caesars pizza in the middle of the meal
A diner was happily tucking into slices of pizza bought from Little Caesars eatery in Funan Mall on Dec 11 when a cockroach suddenly crawled out from under a pizza.
In a post on popular online discussion portal Reddit on Dec 14, the diner described the unappetising dinner experience.
Using the moniker pinkcaramelpudding, the diner said: “My family and I were having our dinner and in the middle of the meal, a baby cockroach crawled out from under our pizza, and we completely lost our appetite.”
The diner later tried to contact the pizza outlet but all 28 calls went unanswered, the post added.
The diner, who said the cockroach was at least 2cm long, has lodged a report with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the post said.
When contacted by The Straits Times, the diner did not provide further details but said Little Caesars gave a refund for the meal on Dec 15.
In response to queries, Little Caesars Pizza – a United States-based chain with outlets all over the world – said it was notified about the incident a few hours after the post went online, and immediately contacted the customer.
A spokeswoman for the eatery said: “We have sent a heartfelt apology and offered compensation of a full refund and two complimentary large pizzas of their choice to the customer.”
She added that it is unclear if the cockroach came from the outlet’s kitchen. The eatery has also not yet found out from the customer if the pizza was a takeaway order or if the patron dined at the Funan outlet, she said.
The spokeswoman said the eatery undertakes pest control measures at all its six outlets in Singapore, and the kitchens are cleaned daily.
“For December, we have arranged for pest control as soon as possible,” she added.
Pest control measures were last done at the Funan outlet on Nov 23, and no cockroaches were found in the premises, she said.
“We will continue our regular monthly pest control and constantly remind our staff to check all orders thoroughly before handing them to the other party,” she added.
Responding to queries, a spokesman for the SFA said it takes a serious view on food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.
He added that SFA is investigating the Little Caesars incident. He said: “SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now