KFC demands apology from customer who made ‘fried rat’ allegation

California resident's hopes of suing KFC fail after third-party lab tests confirm the item was chicken

On a Friday evening early June, Devorise Dixon of California posted images on Facebook of what looked like a fried rat.

Soon comments poured in expressing shock, inquiring which KFC franchise sold the ‘rat’ and suggesting Dixon to sue the company for “easy money”.

“I’m on it!! I work at Fox11 so it might go big!” Dixon replied to one of those comments. One commenter offered a lawyer while another guesstimated how much money Dixon stood to win. “Im telling u COUPLE HUNNID THOUSAND$.”

https://instagram.com/p/31Vh3Rxkfi/
Some wondered if Dixon’s claim was true. “I honestly don't think, that that's a rat,” one commenter wrote. “Sorry, That's impossible, for them not to notice a rat that big before they battered and served the chicken.”

Dixon, however, was confident. “Honestly it doesn't matter what other's think, I know what I bit into and what it looks like. Never in [my] life have I seen a chicken strip with a long tail!”

The status went viral, with people from across the US and abroad letting Dixon know they had spread the word in an expression of solidarity and perhaps dislike for the fast food chain that has previously been embroiled in controversy.

The story gained such momentum that it brought fame not only to Dixon but also the radio show host who interviewed Dixon.

Dixon hired a lawyer who later agreed to turn over the piece of chicken to a lab for DNA testing.

On July 23, KFC issued a statement that tests run by the “third-party independent lab” had confirmed that the item was chicken. “The right thing for this customer to do is to apologise and cease making false claims about the KFC brand.”

@THE_SNIPR_EAGLE An independent lab test has confirmed it’s chicken. We expect the customer to apologize and stop making false allegations.

— KFC (@kfc) June 23, 2015