Jollibee has temporarily closed its Bonifacio Global City store for three days starting June 3 following the “fried towel” incident that went viral on social media early this week.
Based on the video shared by Alique Perez, the chicken delivered to her from the branch was a breaded fried towel that looked like a piece of the restaurant chain’s famous Chickenjoy.
Jollibee said in a statement on June 2 that they are “deeply concerned” over the incident and that they have already conducted a thorough investigation.
“It is unfortunate that deviations from Jollibee’s standard food preparation procedures occurred on the part of certain personnel of the store,” it stated.
It added that the temporary closure is to give way to a thorough review of the store’s “compliance with procedures” to ensure that the incident will not be repeated.
“Jollibee has carefully developed and complied with food preparation systems to ensure that we deliver excellent quality products and customer satisfaction,” it said.
A legal expert advised customers who will have similar experiences to document or take photos of defective products and immediately report them to the concerned establishment.
“In this case, pasok ito doon sa tinatawag na ‘res ipsa loquitur’ – the thing speaks for itself. When you go to court, hindi mo na kailangan pang mag- present ng ebidensyang magsasabi na may kapabayaan sila,” Atty. Edward Chico said.
“‘Yung right mo to damages is actually commensurate to the injury that is actually sustained. Kung na-food poison ka, mas malaki ang danyos,” he added.
Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ruth Castelo reminded food service providers to be truthful about their products.
“Kung ina-advertise nila as chicken, ‘yung ganoong itsura, ‘yung ganoong porma, and then ganoong pagkain. ‘Pag kinain mo talagang chicken, tapos face towel o towel ‘yung ilalagay nila, there is of course deceit on the part of the restaurant,” Castelo said.
She added that the consumer can file a complaint before the DTI for a Consumer Act violation due to possible “deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable sales act or practice.” – Report from Allan Francisco and Cleizl Pardilla/AG-jlo
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