A cellphone recording of the disturbing incident, which was captured by Texas local Brushawn Lewis, shows a small mouse appear on the food prep counter at the burger chain’s Bastrop location.
As the rodent navigates through the various containers on the counter, customers can be heard complaining about the matter off-camera. “That’s so nasty. At a f**king restaurant?! That’s nasty as f**k,” one woman says.
With employees taking notice of the clear health code violation and customers’ growing frustration, it’s not long before a Whataburger employee appears, informing diners that they will be receiving full refunds for their food purchases.
Video later shows that a fellow customer’s attempt at capturing the frightened mouse ultimately ends with the rodent gunning it and jumping straight into the deep fryer. As the mouse makes its final - and fatal - move, a round of gasps can be heard off-camera.
“A deep-fried rat,” one individual can be heard yelling out among a sea of “Oh my god.”
The video, which has garnered more than 75,000 shares on Facebook alone, ends with Lewis telling a Whataburger employee that he intends to get a refund for his food.
Citing a Whataburger employee, the Dallas Morning News reported that the Bastrop Whataburger location was reopened by Sunday morning. In a statement to news station KVUE, the restaurant indicated that “cleanliness and food safety are top priorities,” and that pest control was notified of the matter before the entire eatery was closed and sanitized.
