The Massachusetts woman fired from McDonald’s after being seen on video stuffing fries into her mouth before giving them to her ex-girlfriend has been banned from working in the restaurant industry.
Dudley District Court Judge Andrew J. Abdella has barred Kaylie M. Santos, 22, of Southbridge, from employment at any restaurant until at least the end of her case, which has garnered national and international attention.
In a viral Snapchat video that surfaced on April 9, Santos is seen stuffing French fries into her mouth and heard saying, “When your girlfriend wants French fries today, right… she wants French fries today right,” according to a Southbridge PD incident report.
Footage that the operator of the McDonald’s Southbridge restaurant provided to local police also appeared to show Santos spitting into a French fry carton.
Once the customer, later identified as Santos’ ex-girlfriend, and the restaurant operator learned of the incident, they alerted police that they wanted to pursue criminal charges against the night manager.
On Friday, local authorities found no health concerns or violations at the restaurant, according to the Balducci and Spadea families, who own the franchise location.
“The actions of these individuals are unacceptable and do not reflect our organization’s food safety standards or values,” the families said in a statement. “Immediately upon learning of the incident, the individuals were suspended, and after conducting an internal investigation, they are no longer employed by our organization.”
“The well-being and safety of our Southbridge community remains our top priority,” they added, “and we will continue to take swift, appropriate actions as needed.”
Santos has been charged with two counts of distributing food with a harmful substance. The case is set to continue on July 31.
The victim, Hailey Coburn, told Judge Abdella in court on Friday that she only became aware of the contaminated French fries after seeing the video of Santos stuffing them into her mouth on social media.
Tearing up, Coburn, who said she had dated the defendant for about two years, requested a restraining order against Santos. The judge denied it, citing insufficient evidence of physical abuse.
Abdella, though, verbally ordered Santos to stay away from Coburn.
“I can’t imagine going to a fast food restaurant, “ Coburn’s attorney Christopher Monroy said in court, “and having an ex-partner serve my client french fries that were spit upon.”
Dining and Cooking