'Red Rooster ruined': Outlets forced to close after 'gross' photos of chickens emerge
Red Rooster has been forced to close two stores after photos of what appears to be a pile of cooked chickens in the back of an employee’s boot caused outrage online.
The images went viral after they were posted to Facebook on Wednesday by a man who said he frequented the restaurant.
Temperatures reached 36C on the day he snapped the pictures outside the Perth restaurant.
Red Rooster confirmed to Yahoo News Australia on Friday they have since temporarily closed the Forrestfield store and another location in Waypoint.
The man told 10Daily the “chooks were on rotisserie skewers being brought into the store.”
“The boot was lined with cardboard but nothing else. Not wrapped, not refrigerated. The opportunity for cross-contamination is immense, plus the fact food is stored in the danger zone for temperature,” he said.
Red Rooster said in a statement the stores will remain closed while they investigate the incident.
“These stores will remain closed while detailed investigations are conducted, required actions are taken and we are satisfied that the operating standards of these locations meet the high expectations of our strict brand standards,” a spokesperson said.
The fast food chain said all “potentially impacted has been removed and disposed of”.
“All surfaces, equipment and facilities have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitised,” the statement said.
“Supplier deliveries have been suspended until such time stores are approved to reopen.
“Red Rooster is extremely disappointed by this incident and takes such matters seriously. Red Rooster takes pride in the normal high operating standards provided by our restaurants and holds the safety of our customers and employees as our highest priority.”
Many commenters online said they will no longer visit the fast food chain, while others said staff must have been throwing away the chickens.
“It’s gross,” one woman said.
“This has ruined Red Rooster for me,” another wrote.
“When fat Friday nearly becomes food poisoning Friday,” a man joked.
Several people said the man who witnessed the incident should have confronted employees and asked them what was happening before posting it online.
“It could’ve been left overs going to feed animals and not for human consumption. Everyone’s quick to judge but I’d like the whole story first?” one woman said.
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