Viral post about bug in food leads to discovery of nearly 20 dead roaches at popular Florida chicken joint
A video posted on social media by Haile Kirkland showed a cockroach cooked into her food at Slim Chickens
A customer's now viral social media post showed her encountering more than just chicken at a popular fast food joint in the Florida panhandle earlier this month.
The Slim Chickens location on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola is fairly new and had yet to receive a complaint or health code violation since its opening in March 2021, according to WEAR Pensacola.
That changed after Haile Kirkland found a roach cooked into her food.
"At first I thought it was a burnt spot," Kirkland told the outlet. "And then when I picked it up I said, 'That's a whole bug.'"
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Haile Kirkland and her husband were eating at Slim Chickens when they found a cockroach cooked into a chicken tender. (Haile Kirkland/Facebook)
Kirkland said she and her husband had only taken a few bites of their food before noticing the insect.
"I probably ate one or two of my tenders and then my husband sat his food down and he was like, 'Here check my food,' and it was in his food," Kirkland said. "And I was like 'Oh great.'"
Kirkland shared a video to her Facebook page showing the bug cooked into a chicken tender. The post has been shared nearly 1,500 times since Feb. 16 and resulted in an anonymous employee sending her videos of roaches crawling in various spots in the kitchen.
Though thousands of people came in contact with Kirkland's Facebook post, the state reportedly wasn't aware of the issue until WEAR reached out for answers.
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A Google Earth image shows the exterior of the Slim Chickens location on 9 Mile Road in Pensacola, Fla. (Google Earth)
On Tuesday, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation visited the restaurant and observed nearly 20 dead roaches in the store, WEAR reported. The DBPR called for a follow-up inspection on Wednesday and found no violations.
Slim Chickens released the following statement to Fox News Digital on Friday:
"Slim Chickens corporation is aware of the complaint for Halie Kirkland and we have begun an investigation into the issue.
"Our local franchisee responded swiftly to the social post to ensure all health & safety precautions were evaluated and implemented at the Pensacola location. The franchisee met with the local pest elimination company the following morning at the restaurant to thoroughly inspect the premises and provide further pest elimination treatment.
"All pest activity has been resolved and the pest control company will continue to come out weekly to monitor and provide additional treatments as needed.
"The local Health Inspector arrived on Wednesday 2/22 and approved the location with no issues or violations. The franchisee is continuing to work with our local Heath Inspector and provide full access to ensure the quality of our food and guest experience."
The owner of the location, who was not named, also told WEAR that his primary goal was to ensure Kirkland was alright.
A video posted to Haile Kirkland's Facebook showed a cockroach cooked into a chicken tender at Slim Chickens in Pensacola, Fla. (Haile Kirkland/Facebook)
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In her post on Facebook, Kirkland said the store manager told her "oops, sorry" and asked if she wanted a "refund or something." In an interview with WEAR, Kirkland said the location's owner reached out to her, offering a sincere apology, a full refund and $100 in gift cards – including $50 to Slim Chickens.
She said she would eventually return to the restaurant once it's proven to be clean.
"I'm not gonna lie, they have some of the best chicken in town, I just need it to be clean," Kirkland said.