Bag Of Mice Included In Fast-Food Order

(Star-News, Wilmington, N.C., January 20, 2007) A sub, a salad and snake food. One of those things wasn't on the menu. A local man was shocked last week to find a bag of frozen mice with his to-go meal from Pizzas 2 U, a fast-food restaurant in Hampstead, North Carolina. News of the unwanted side order broadsided restaurant owners Woody Sullivan and his wife, Lidka, who weren't working on the night of Jan. 11 when the incident occurred. They first got wind of the problem when a county health specialist arrived at the restaurant Wednesday morning. The couple voluntarily closed for five hours to scour the kitchen, though the county specialist, an outside contractor and the Sullivans found no other problems. The baby mice were sealed in a knotted plastic bag and never touched the salad or sandwich, which were also covered, according to a report by the Pender County Health Department.

After talking to his employees, Woody Sullivan said he suspects one of them bought the mice at a pet shop to feed a pet reptile, though he is unclear how the dead animals ended up with the order. Both employees on duty that night were fired, despite professing their innocence, Woody Sullivan said. Employees have to be responsible for what happens on their shift, especially something so serious, he said. He and the customer, Rich Schlenleber, met for more than an hour to talk about the matter, with Schlenleber leaving with no hard feelings, Woody Sullivan said.