Key Takeaways
- Two Texas customers, Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon, are suing Popeyes and parent company Restaurant Brands International for $1.5 million after claiming they found a “condom-like” object inside their fried chicken, saying the incident made them nauseated and fearful of contamination.
- The lawsuit accuses the companies of negligence and violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, while Popeyes says internal video suggests the object was likely a restaurant glove that fell into the batter and notes it issued a refund and apology.
- The plaintiffs argue the restaurant only refunded them after “persistence,” framing the response as proof customer safety was secondary, and the case lands as Popeyes faces slumping same-store sales and franchise closures amid a broader operational overhaul.
Popeyes has spent much of 2026 fighting falling sales and franchise closures. Now the chicken chain has a very different problem on its hands: a $1.5 million lawsuit from two Texas customers who claim they found a "condom-like" object embedded inside their fried chicken.
Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon filed suit against Popeyes and its parent company, Restaurant Brands International, on August 3 over an order they purchased from a Houston restaurant in late July. According to the complaint, Howard bit into a piece of chicken before discovering the foreign object inside. The pair immediately stopped eating and became nauseated, alleging the incident left them worried about possible exposure to bacteria, viruses, bodily fluids and other contaminants.
"The discovery instantly transformed what should have been an ordinary family meal into a deeply disturbing and frightening event," the lawsuit states. Howard and McKinnon are accusing the companies of negligence and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, and are seeking more than $1.5 million in damages.
Popeyes, however, says its own investigation points to something far less alarming than what the customers initially suspected. "We looked at extensive internal video and determined this was likely a restaurant glove that fell into the batter," the company told USA Today.
Popeyes acknowledged that the explanation didn't excuse what happened, adding, "Regardless, it's not acceptable, so we issued a refund and an apology to the guest."
The customers dispute how smoothly that resolution happened. Their complaint alleges that restaurant management initially offered a replacement chicken and provided a refund only "after persistence." The filing characterized the response as evidence that "customer safety was secondary to minimizing the incident." Popeyes has not publicly addressed that specific allegation.
The lawsuit arrives during an already bruising year for the chain. Popeyes posted a 6.5 percent decline in same-store sales during the first quarter—its worst quarterly performance in roughly 20 years—prompting executives to overhaul operations, simplify the menu, and improve value.
