Customer Sues Popeyes For Serving His Fried Chicken With a Spork

Fast food: It’s quick, cheap, and usually served with plastic utensils that don’t always do the best job at cutting food. A Mississippi man found that out the hard way, claiming he choked on a piece of Popeyes fried chicken because it was served without a plastic knife.

The man, who happens to be an attorney, is now suing the chain, alleging that the only utensil he was given with his drive-thru order was a spork. Paul Newton Jr. says he received his order sans knife, the AP reports, leaving him with no choice but to “hold the chicken breast with his hands and tear off pieces with his teeth, causing him to choke.”

As a former Popeyes employee noted to Mississippi news station WLOX, the lawsuit is confusing: “If you choke on your chicken and you have to get the chicken removed from your throat, it’s not because Popeyes didn’t apply a knife to the box. Maybe you should slow down eating. Nobody eats chicken with utensils.”

That’s not entirely true, however. A certain Presidential candidate has been photographed eating fried chicken with utensils, though Trump’s fast-food poultry of choice appears to be Popeyes rival, KFC.

According to the lawsuit, Newton had to undergo emergency surgery to remove a piece of chicken that was lodged in his throat. He is now seeking financial compensation and punitive damages and asking the chain to begin including knives with all drive-thru customers' orders.

Eyebrow-raising lawsuits against chain restaurants seem to be piling up lately. In October, a woman sued Jimmy John’s for putting mustard on her sandwich, saying an allergic reaction left her unable to “speak above a whisper.” She also claims that she suffered emotional distress as a result of the mustard-laden sandwich.

• Knives Needed, Man Says After Choking on Popeyes Chicken [AP]
• More Lawsuits Coverage [E]