A customer of a food chain in Bacolod City who claimed to have found a piece of broken glass while eating at about 4:30 p.m. on Sept.17, is demanding that the company refund her hospital expenses and other damages.

At a press conference at the Negros Press Club, building yesterday, Kessa Tambasen, 29, of Menlo Village, Talisay City, said she ordered a meal at the Chowking-BS Aquino Drive branch and, while eating, she chewed on something hard and when she took it out she found a piece of broken glass allegedly embedded in the rice. She said she showed it to the security guard who called the store manager, Krista Marie Gamboa.

She said Gamboa told her that she had to check the food with their kitchen staff, but when she took a long time to return, Tambasen left the food chain.

Gamboa, however, said that when she went back about 8 minutes later Tambasen had already left. She also said that it was not broken glass that she found in the rice but a piece of a broken plastic, the size of a fingernail.

Tambasen said that, that night, she vomited and did not feel well and had a medical checkup at a nearby hospital next day. The food chain gave P5,000 for initial expenses, she said.

However, when she agreed to take the endoscopy test and was preparing for it, she was told that personnel of the food chain had advised the hospital billing section to hold the medical assistance.

Ricky Bilbao, administrative officer of the Chowking-BS Aquino Drive, denied that they stopped the medical assistance. He said he had been meeting with Tambasen and her relatives at the hospital and had attended to her needs and requests.

“On Sept. 21, we went to the hospital to settle her bills but an employee told us that Tambasen will not accept any assistance from us,” Bilbao said.

He also said they did their part in assisting her and are willing to shoulder her expenses, but Tambasen and her family members refuse to talk to them.

Their rice supplier had immediately pulled out their stocks and replaced it as requested by their head office.

She also assured their customers that they have passed their quality management audit on food safety, and had met customer satisfaction in their food services. *LTG

back to top