Rat's Head Served at Harlem Popeyes, Woman Says

HARLEM, NY — A woman took to social media after she found something unusual in her Popeyes order — extra whiskers. Or so she claims.

Rosemary Thomas, of Clifton Park, New York, was served a deep-fried rat's head along with her meal at a Harlem Popeyes located at 2730 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, she claimed Sunday in a Facebook post. The Popeyes in question is located on the corner of Frederick Douglass and West 145th Street and currently has an "A" grade from the Department of Health.

"Friends and family, this is a meal Popeyes in Harlem served my daughter, my niece and sister. This is clearly a rat and they have the nerve to have a 5 rating by the department of health. I've sent this picture to DESK@NY1 and no one has contacted me. People please free to share this picture. Think about all the other rat that have been served and the lasting effect this will have on my daughter, niece and sister. The exact address is 2730 Frederick Douglas Blvd," reads the Facebook post.

Thomas did not immediately return a message from Patch.

The restaurant was last inspected on April 21, but in the past it had been cited for having problems with mice. In fact, this year's inspection was the first time in three years the restaurant did not get a violation for being "not vermin proof."

Upon seeing the Facebook post, the Popeyes franchise owner reached out to Thomas to try and resolve the issue, Popeyes spokeswoman Renee Kopkowski told Patch.

"They are taking it very seriously," Kopkowski said.

The franchise owner ordered an immediate health inspection on Monday and was once again awarded an "A" grade, Kopkowski said. The owner also plans on meeting with Thomas on Monday evening to retrieve the alleged rat head to send it off for testing by an independent third party.

Popeyes has also reached out to its chicken supplier, Kopkowski said. The supplier believes the meat is not actually a rat's head, Kopkowski said.

"They are very confident it's chicken organ meat," Kopkowski told Patch.

Chicken organ meat is not typically served at Popeyes but can on occasion slip by as an anomaly, Kopkowski told Patch. All meat is hand-battered at Popeyes stores, not pre-battered by the supplier, Kopkowski said.

Warning: If you plan on being hungry at some point today do not look at the images below:

Photo: Google Maps street view circa Sept. 20