Fast food restaurants, like any other public places, are unfortunately not immune to criminal activities. Over the years, there have been numerous crimes committed at these establishments, some of which have made headlines due to their severity or unusual nature.
Here, we detail 11 of the biggest crimes ever to take place at a fast food restaurant.
1. The McDonald’s Monopoly Scam
Perhaps one of the most infamous crimes tied to a fast food restaurant, the McDonald’s Monopoly game was manipulated by Jerome Jacobson, Chief of Security, and former police officer, who stole winning game pieces worth over $24 million over a period of 12 years. He was caught red-handed after the FBI received an anonymous tip, and the game was paused to deal with the ensuing fall-out.
2. The Wendy’s Chili Finger Incident
In 2005, Anna Ayala claimed to find a severed finger in her chili at a Wendy’s in San Jose, California. It was later revealed to be a hoax; Ayala had planted the finger, which belonged to a coworker of her husband’s, in her food. She was convicted on a felony charge of Grand Larceny and served four years of her nine year sentence for costing the chain millions in lost revenue.
3. The Burger King Baby Abandonment
In 1986, a newborn baby was found abandoned in the restroom of a Burger King in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The mother was eventually located almost three decades later after the child, now grown, launched a search for her.
5. The McDonald’s Strip Search Scam
In 2004, a prank caller posing as a police officer managed to convince the managers of a McDonald’s in Mount Washington, Kentucky to strip search a female employee, 19 year old Louise Ogborn, leading to a disturbing and humiliating ordeal that lasted for 3 hours. She was poked, prodded and sexually assaulted until an off-duty custodian realized what was going on.
She was awarded $6.1 million for compensatory damages.
5. The Subway Robbery Spree
In 2015, Zachary Torrance was arrested for robbing multiple Subway restaurants across Alabama. He claimed he was trying to get his money back after the “Jared Subway diet” didn’t work for him.
6. The Pizza Bomber Case
In one of the most bizarre crimes of all time, a pizza delivery man was forced to rob a bank in 2003 with a bomb strapped around his neck. The man was killed when the bomb exploded, leading to a complex investigation. Eventually investigators determined that the “bomber” was part of a group of conspirators that had planned the robbery in an elaborate, and sinister plot.
7. The McDonald’s Shootout in Florida
In 1987, a disagreement over a broken soda machine at a McDonald’s in Miami led to a shootout, resulting in the death of a security guard.
8. The Taco Bell Kidnapping Attempt
In 2019, a man and his daughter kidnapped a woman in the drive-thru of a Taco Bell in Las Vegas. The perpetrators were later apprehended but not before driving across state lines, the hostage being held captive for a week, and then horrifically raped. They ended up letting her go in the Mohave Desert.
9. The KFC Triple Murder
In 1983, five employees at a KFC in Kilgore, Texas were abducted and murdered in a case that took over two decades to solve. In 2001, through the help of DNA testing, trace amounts of blood on a napkin led authorities to confirm the identification of the two suspects originally apprehended.
10. The Domino’s YouTube Incident
While not a crime in the traditional sense, in 2009 two Domino’s Pizza employees faced charges for posting a YouTube video of themselves performing unsanitary acts while preparing food. The video received heavy backlash, and was eventually removed from Youtube.
11. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Stabbing
In 2019, an altercation over a Popeyes chicken sandwich turned deadly when a man was stabbed to death in Maryland. The man who was killed had allegedly cut the long line during the height of the Popeye’s chicken sandwich craze.
While these incidents paint a grim picture, it’s worth noting that they are the exception rather than the rule.
The vast majority of fast food restaurant visits are crime-free, but these examples serve as a stark reminder of the unexpected, violent situations that can occur where people least expect them.
