Woman refutes McDonald's response to her mushy and 'severely undercooked' burger patty

Vihanya Rakshika
The Straits Times
Dec 6, 2023

A woman who was looking forward to her lunch took a few bites of a McDonald’s burger, only to find that the beef patty was wet, mushy and what she believed to be severely undercooked.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, 44, told The Straits Times on Dec 6 that she and her nine-year-old daughter went to a McDonald’s outlet in Punggol on Dec 4 to get lunch.

At around 11am that day, the mother-daughter duo made a takeaway order of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal and a Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal before proceeding home to eat.

It was then that she realised her burger had what seemed like an “80 per cent” undercooked patty. She immediately returned the burger to its packaging and took it back to the outlet.

When she questioned the outlet manager about the patty, the manager gave her a full refund for the meal.

She was also offered another burger, but she rejected it.

“The manager took down my (telephone) number, said Ms Tan. “I was told to visit the doctor if I faced discomfort and was promised that my medical bills would be paid for if I had food poisoning.”

In response to ST’s queries, McDonald’s said on Dec 6: “We’re truly sorry about our customer’s experience and have reached out directly to make good on the matter”.

However, Ms Tan said that “after the incident, they did not contact (her)”. She believes “a sincere apology from McDonald’s is necessary for this incident”.

“I hope they will be more careful with their food preparation and not repeat this again,” she said.

In a statement issued to ST regarding the incident, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said “food safety is a joint responsibility”.

“While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices,” the agency added.

Ms Tan told ST: “So far, I am feeling okay but super disgusted by such an unpleasant experience. Will definitely not go back to that outlet again.”

“I still feel nauseous when I look at beef,” she added.