Woman says she found what appeared to be mold on her Wendy’s burger after asking for everything fresh: “Why is there mold on the back of my burger?”
She had already eaten most of the burger before she saw the back of the bun.
Mia Padgett had already eaten most of her Wendy’s burger when she flipped it over and saw something that made her stop. Green and gray fuzz appeared to cover part of the back of the bun.
Padgett says she had gone out of her way to ask Wendy’s for fresh food before she ever opened the burger. She shared a photo on Facebook showing the partially eaten burger and questioned how the spot could have gone unnoticed at the Wendy’s in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina.
The image shows the discoloration still visible on what remained of the bun. A photo alone cannot confirm that the growth was mold, but Padgett says seeing it after she had already eaten most of the burger was enough to send her back to the restaurant.
She had almost finished her Wendy’s burger before she saw the back of the bun
Padgett later clarified in the comments that she did not throw the rest of the burger away. She says she took the remaining piece back to Wendy’s after realizing what was on the bun.
What happened once she got there is less clear. Padgett did not say whether employees offered her a refund or replacement, nor did she share whether anyone at the restaurant explained what might have been on the bread.
She did make clear that she wanted to take the complaint further. In her original post, Padgett said she planned to pursue legal action, though she did not provide any details about whether she had contacted an attorney or filed a formal complaint.
That leaves the restaurant’s response as one of the biggest unanswered parts of her account. Padgett shared what she says she found and what she did with the remaining food, but not how Wendy’s handled the complaint once she brought it back.
If it was mold, tossing the whole bun is the safer move
Padgett says she specifically asked Wendy’s to make her food fresh, which made the discovery even more frustrating for her. Wendy’s also leans heavily on freshness in its own marketing, including its use of fresh, never frozen beef.
If mold caused the growth on the bun, cutting away the bad-looking section would not solve the problem. The USDA recommends throwing away moldy bread and baked goods because mold can spread beneath the surface even when the rest looks fine.
They also warn people not to sniff food that appears moldy because inhaling the spores can expose them to mold. Other customers have raised similar questions after spotting suspicious growth on restaurant food and packaging.
Padgett also had another option besides taking the burger back to Wendy’s. South Carolina’s Department of Agriculture takes complaints from customers who believe restaurant food was unsanitary or handled or stored improperly. Wendy’s has also faced other recent food safety allegations, including a lawsuit from a customer who claimed a meal caused a serious bacterial infection.
The state also publishes restaurant inspection information through its Food Grades system. The state may inspect a restaurant multiple times a year, depending on its risk level and inspection history.
Holding onto the food, receipt, or packaging can help if someone decides to make a complaint. Padgett says she at least kept the remaining burger long enough to bring it back to Wendy’s rather than throwing it away.
The Mary Sue reached out to both Padgett and Wendy’s for comment but had not received a response from either at the time of publication. We will update this story if either party responds.
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