After ordering a vegetarian pizza, a Muslim family was horrified to discover that they’d consumed pork sausage, not noticing until it was too late. Despite Domino’s offering an apology, full refund, and free pizza, the family says it’s not good enough.
Craving pizza, Sami Khan and his family decided to order takeout from a local Domino’s in Exeter, England. Upon placing their order, they were careful to ensure that they were getting a meatless vegetarian supreme pizza, complete with mushrooms, corn, and peppers.
Upon delivery, the hungry family of five dug in, consuming some of their meal only to halt when Sami ominously expressed that one of the pizza pies had a “funny taste” to it. It was after he closely inspected the meal that he realized the few bites he’d consumed had not only breached his vegetarian lifestyle but also desecrated his deeply held religious beliefs.
According to Devon Live, a look of horror overcame Sami’s face when the father of three realized he had consumed pork sausage, which was strewn about what was supposed to be a vegetarian pizza. He explained that he had already eaten a whole slice when he couldn’t shake the “funny taste,” which turned out to be dime-sized slices of pork.
Outraged over the incident, Ambia Khan quickly went to the media to expose the incident. Eager journalists took down her woeful lamentations of her husband’s ordeal, explaining that it isn’t merely a case of accidental meat consumption but a grievous transgression of their Islamic faith.
Ambia said, “My husband ate one slice and he wasn’t sure, so he looked on another slice of pizza and saw the pork. He feels sick and violated as it’s pork sausage and we’re Muslim. Pork is an absolute no, and on top of that we are vegetarian.”
Ambia and Sami’s first reaction was to call Domino’s and complain. However, feeling as if the restaurant chain wasn’t taking their issues seriously, Sami headed to the Honiton Road location, pizza-in-hand. When he arrived, Ambia claims that the employees admitted their error and apologized.
“Domino’s have dealt with this situation horrendously. They said we could have a replacement pizza, but we didn’t want anything from them. When my husband took the pizza to them in Honiton Road they confirmed it was sausage. No one came to our house to collect the pizza for investigation. In the shop they apologised but said, ‘it’s busy shop, it happens, just deal with it.’”
Ambia told reporters that a refund or replacement simply won’t do. She likened the mixup to a rare case of a customer having a deadly allergy. Ultimately, she wants Domino’s to “do something” more than just offering them free food, although she didn’t specify what would remedy the issue.
“They offered replacement but after experiencing this we don’t want anything from them. What about if we were allergic? They can’t say sorry if that person happened to die. We have not had a refund, but that’s not the point. This is morally and ethically wrong. If it can happen to us it can happen again. They need to do something to ensure there is no risk of cross contamination. It is serious and for an established business like Domino’s it should be priority.”
After Ambia had gone to the media, Domino’s was forced to give a public response. In conclusion, the company again apologized and reiterated that it was merely a case of a wrong topping, which sometimes unfortunately occurs.
A Domino’s spokesperson said, “This was an innocent mistake. When the customer notified us we immediately apologised and collected the pizza to investigate further. We issued a full refund to the customer and offered to remake and deliver a fresh order.”
Since Domino’s offered a second apology and a more detailed explanation, the Khan family has yet to respond. However, if they still feel the same as before corporate’s comment, it’s likely that they aren’t satisfied.
It appears as though the Khan family may take their complaint to a higher level, which could include a hefty lawsuit. Only time will tell whether the family will pursue legal action or simply take their service elsewhere from now on.
It’s understandable that those who adhere to certain lifestyles or religious tenets would be distressed over such an incident. However, the issue seems to be an accident and not malicious in any way.
