McNuggets 911

By Mike Schuster Mar 04, 2009 10:40 am

Processed chicken shortage not in fact a police emergency.

What would you say is an acceptable 911 emergency call? A fire? Assault? A 6-foot, 3-inch stranger in white-face paint and a red fright wig palling around with errant toddlers?

Well, a Florida woman felt it necessary to phone a 911 dispatcher and call an officer to a local McDonald's (MCD). Her dire emergency: They were out of McNuggets. And apparently, the woman thought the situation needed immediate attention, because she called not once, not twice, but 3 times.

Now that's a real processed-chicken fan.

Latreasa Goodman's order started like any other. She requested a 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal and paid for her food. But the cashier returned, saying the establishment was out of McNuggets.

Normally in such a predicament, a customer's course of action would be to order a different meal or receive a refund. However, the cashier refused to give Goodman a refund -- a clear violation of McDonald's rules -- but offered her a larger meal for the same price.

Goodman didn't care for that option. The police report said she became irate and responded, "I don't want a McDouble and small fry!"

Faced -- in her mind -- with no alternative, Goodman phoned 911. And then again. And again.

"This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one," Goodman exclaimed. "This is an emergency."

The 27-year-old woman predictably received a court citation for misuse of 911 charges, but McDonald's surprisingly apologized for the incident and gave Goodman a refund along with a complimentary meal.

Goodman's court fees, however, will have to be provided by the defendant.