Coffee chain apologizes, issues refund; Food safety authorities notified
Mega MGC Coffee, Korea's largest budget coffee chain, is facing criticism after a customer reported finding a dead cockroach in an iced vanilla latte purchased at one of its stores, according to news reports Wednesday.
The customer posted photos of the drink and what appeared to be a cockroach on Threads, recounting the unpleasant experience.
"I was almost done with my drink when I felt something strange in my mouth. At first, I thought it was a piece of lemon, but that didn't make sense in a vanilla latte, so I spat it out and realized it was a bug," he wrote.
The customer said he vomited in the restroom shortly afterward and then called the store to complain.
He said what upset him even more was that the employee appeared to chuckle while handling his complaint.
In an audio recording attached to the post, a store employee apologized for the incident but noted that the store had never received a similar complaint before.
The customer later reported the incident to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Mega MGC Coffee's headquarters said it had apologized to the customer and issued a refund.
"We sincerely apologize for the unpleasant experience. We are closely reviewing CCTV footage and the drink preparation process, but have yet to determine how the insect ended up in the beverage," a company official told a local news outlet.
The company also pledged to review its hygiene procedures and strengthen staff training on sanitation and customer service to prevent similar incidents.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
