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If you've ever ordered a meal at a restaurant and gotten something different or undercooked instead, you may have chosen one of a few options. Perhaps you would accept the incorrect order in peace, ask for a manager to remedy the problem, or maybe just seethe in silence at the table until you get to your car and complain all the way home. One woman in North Carolina, however, took her issue to the next level by getting authorities involved.
Annie Cooke recently picked up her order from Clyde Cooper's BBQ in Raleigh only to find what she claimed to be pink or undercooked meat, per WRAL. She requested the kitchen either cook her food longer or serve her something else or simply get a refund for her order, but she said that nothing of the sort happened.
Cooke then took out her frustrations by airing her grievances in a now-deleted online review calling it the "worst customer service I ever had in my life." She also revealed that she called 911 when the restaurant refused a refund, telling WRAL, "That's just the way I felt — that's the reason I called the cops, because I couldn't get my money back or I couldn't get a different plate."
Holt, however, hit back at the woman's claims by sharing a post on Clyde Cooper's Facebook page thanking its loyal customers for their support for the "pink bbq" love and by sharing "the facts" of what they say actually happened. Debbie Holt, owner of Clyde Cooper's BBQ, said she repeatedly tried to explain to Cooke why the meat was pink but not undercooked.
"I kind of snickered a little bit and told her, 'Honey, that's when the barbecue is smoked. It turns pink,'" Holt said. "And she was insistent that it wasn't done."
When Cooke refused a different meal, Holt said, she was given a piece of chicken in a bag instead. That's when she reportedly left the restaurant and called 911.
"When the cop came in though, he had a cute little smile in his face and rolled his eyes, and just had his arms folded," said Holt. "I don't even think he said much to me except, 'I got you.'"
Despite the uproar, Holt said Cooke is welcome back to the restaurant where she would be happy to "educate her about North Carolina, southeastern-style barbecue." Cooke, however, said she is considering filing a civil lawsuit.