Florida Officer Accuses Burger King of Putting Dirt in Food. Turns Out, It Was Seasoning

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should never eat Karen’s potato salad. If wypipo can’t tell dirt from seasoning…what in the water-is-too-spicy hell is this?

Fort Myers, Fla., Police Officer Tim McCormick’s complaint sent Burger King into this giant investigation after he accused employees at the fast-food chain of putting dirt in his food.

According to the Fort Myers News-Press, McCormick took to Facebook to express his outrage about the meal he received at the local Burger King. He said it seemed as if the burger had dirt in it, but didn’t notice until he was almost done (right, Mr. Greedy) and then threw out the last bite.

“I was the Officer who was served a burger at Burger King at 4004 Cleveland Avenue in Ft Myers with dirt in it, At first I thought it was just burned old bacon, I was hungry and ate the burger, at the last bite I saw dirt and grit on the burger. In disgust, I threw it out of the window,” his now-deleted Facebook post read.

McCormick said he grew suspicious after seeing his receipt clearly marked in capital letters, POLICE, something he’s never seen before. He told ABC-7 that he went in to question employees.

“Two female employees were giggling and laughing and said ‘What’s a matter officer something wrong with your burger?’” McCormick said.

He said that led him to believe they targeted him because he was a cop.

“The atmosphere that we’re dealing with as police officers today. I perceived that somebody messed with my food,” he added.

Turns out, that was a load of crap.

Burger King franchise officials quickly stepped in after the post went viral.

“This has my full and undivided attention,” Dan Fitzpatrick, CEO and chairman of Quality Dining Inc., the franchisee who operates the Burger King restaurant, said, according to the News-Press.

Fitzpatrick himself spoke with Fort Myers Police Department officials on Wednesday. Those officers, along with the regional manager, reviewed the video showing the cooking process the day the officer’s meal was made. It was determined that nothing inappropriate was done to McCormick’s food.

So what was sprinkled on McCormick’s burger?

Salt and pepper, y’all.

This is a mixup coming from a man who shares a name with a company that has been manufacturing spices, herbs and flavorings since 1889.

I can’t y’all. The irony.

Essentially, Fitzpatrick told the News-Press, as part of the process for preparing meat, a salt and pepper blend is added. Fitzpatrick noted that the seasoning, as well as the flame-broiled grilling process, may have left particles that the officer thought was dirt.

Fitzpatrick has gone as far to arrange for McCormick to view the footage of his food being prepared himself.

“We hope the officer will post something, in whatever manner he chooses,” the CEO said. (Basically, fix yo’ shit and stop blaming BK because your taste buds are charred).

As for the POLICE on the receipt? Fitzpatrick said that the restaurant regularly uses that method to help identify and serve customers.

“Every one of our guests we ask ‘May we have your name to better serve you?’” he said.

Apparently, when McCormick was asked his name, he had simply said “officer.” The clerk asked McCormick to repeat his name, and again he reiterated “police officer.”

So what was the clerk to do?

Despite the fuss, Fitzpatrick doesn’t want to have any more issues or cause any trouble for the officer.

“It’s hard to not go far these days to see first responders put in harm’s way and not be respected,” he said. “We love these guys.”

Meanwhile Fort Myers Polie Capt. Jay Rodriguez is trying to smooth things over on his end saying, “Burger King took it very seriously…We hope it can get resolved. There was no malicious intent.”

No malicious intent. But whew, chile, the slander against seasoning.