Chick-fil-A isn't a coffee shop, so there aren't any unreasonably high expectations when it comes to the quality of the java they serve.
That said, customers do expect their cup of Joe to still taste like coffee, and maybe a bit of cream and sugar.
However, for one customer, this wasn't the case.
Back in March, a woman whose name has not been revealed, had the shock of her life when she took a sip of her coffee from a Chick-fil-A in Stockbridge, Georgia, and the beverage tasted like it had been laced with a chemical.
After informing the staff that something was wrong with her drink, they were able to determine that the coffee was indeed tainted with a cleaning solution used in the store.
Unfortunately, the woman has since experienced a slew of health complications that caused her to rack up a very expensive medical bill. She has been suffering from "intestinal issues and discomfort in her throat," and has reportedly "started seeing gastroenterologists."
After reviewing footage from that fateful day, Chick-fil-A has assumed full responsibility of the incident and offered to cover the medical costs, which have added up to more than $3,890 so far.
Still, the unnamed woman has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, citing "mental and physical suffering" as well as the fact that she will need more treatments in the future.
"We are aware of the complaint and are currently investigating. Because this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further at this time," a spokesperson for franchise owner Paul White told Atlanta Journal Constitution.
While incidents like this may seem like a one-off, that's far from the reality.
In September, news outlets reported two separate incidents where a customer's food or beverage was contaminated with a dangerous chemical.
Deputy Brown, a police officer from Lee County, Florida claimed that burritos he ordered from a drive-thru in Lehigh Acres contained bleach.
Another law enforcement official had a somewhat similar experience, but this time it was at a McDonald's in Kansas. An employee, who has since been charged, put a peroxide-based cleaning solution in the Allen County Deputy's drink.
A month earlier, a McDonald's in Alberta, Canada came under fire after a pregnant woman was served a cup of cleaning solution instead of coffee.
Sarah Douglas, who was 32 weeks pregnant with her third child, stopped at a local McDonald's drive-thru to order a latte on her way to her son's baseball tournament.
"I immediately had to put my hazard lights on and pull over and spit it out and rinse my mouth out with ... water," said Douglas. "I opened up the lid of the coffee and out pours this pungent smell of chemical. It wasn't a latte at all."
Unlike the Georgia woman, Douglas didn't suffer any side effects, but she shared her story as a cautionary tale.
[H/T: Atlanta Journal Constitution]
