One California woman’s Panda Express order left her with more than just a disappointing meal.
When she called the restaurant to complain about what she says was raw chicken, the response she got only made things worse.
Woman Says Panda Express Served Her Raw Chicken
In a viral slideshow with more than 32,000 views, TikToker Glitter Sparkles (@glittersparklesya) shared her alarming experience at Panda Express.
“My Panda Express chicken was raw and when I called about it the lady I kid you not said ‘no we don’t serve raw chicken,'” the text overlay reads.
The video shows a piece of breaded orange chicken that’s pink in the middle.
According to the caption, the employee didn’t believe her complaint about the undercooked meat.
The creator later clarified in the comments that she did return to the store to demand a refund.
“They were rude at first but after I showed the pic they switched up,” she wrote in response to a commenter who suggested she should have gone back to the store.
When another commenter questioned whether the chicken was actually raw, Glitter Sparkles stood firm.
“Idk looks raw feels raw tastes raw,” she responded.
The Risks Of Undercooked Chicken
Consuming undercooked chicken poses serious health risks that go far beyond an unpleasant dining experience. Raw chicken can be contaminated with Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Clostridium perfringens germs. And eating undercooked chicken can lead to foodborne illness, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 1 in every 25 packages of chicken at the grocery store is contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella causes more foodborne illnesses than any other bacteria.
The USDA recommends cooking all poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.
At this temperature, harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter are destroyed within seconds. The agency emphasizes that the color of cooked chicken is not a reliable sign of safety. Only a food thermometer can accurately determine that chicken has reached a safe temperature throughout.
Symptoms of foodborne illness from undercooked chicken can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, the Cleveland Clinic explained. Depending on the bacteria involved, the illness can last up to a week, and, in severe cases, can lead to hospitalization, particularly for young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems.
Can You Sue For Being Served Undercooked Chicken?
Yes, customers can sue restaurants for serving undercooked food if it results in foodborne illness or other harm.
Customers have the right to expect that food served at a restaurant is safe to eat and cooked at a time and temperature that can kill foodborne pathogens. If a restaurant fails to fulfill this duty and it results in illness, customers have the right to sue for compensation, 360training explained.
There are several types of legal claims available in food poisoning lawsuits. Under negligence, a restaurant must exercise reasonable care in maintaining a safe environment and providing safe products. Strict products liability allows plaintiffs to demonstrate that food was flawed and posed an unreasonable danger, without needing to prove a lack of reasonable care. Breach of warranty claims argue that food failed to meet the implied warranty that it is fit for human consumption.
If successful, plaintiffs may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost income, physical pain and suffering, and emotional distress. However, less than a third of foodborne illness lawsuits result in monetary compensation unless they involve premature death, according to 360training.
Notable cases include the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, where a family received a $15.6 million settlement after their daughter suffered permanent damage from undercooked hamburgers. More recently, Chipotle agreed to a $25 million criminal fine in 2018—the largest in U.S. food safety law history—after being linked to multiple foodborne illness outbreaks.
Commenters React
“The orange chicken is dark meat and sometimes dark meat is pink when cooked to,” a top comment read.
“That’s not raw my guy,” a person said.
“The health department serves violations you should call them,” another wrote.
BroBible reached out to Glitter Sparkles via TikTok direct message and comment and to Panda Express via email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.