Grubhub delivery driver caught eating customer's meal
Grubhub has fired a Long Beach delivery driver after he was caught eating a customer's meal last week.
"He took bite-fulls out of each plate that was in that order," said Martin Luzanilla, the owner of "Mexihanas."
Luzanilla's security camera captured the delivery driver chowing down in the restaurant's parking lot, moments after he picked up the customer's order.
After noticing that the driver had not moved for several minutes and that his face was diving into a plate full of food, Luzanilla decided to confront the man.
The driver told Luzanilla that he was munching on his own lunch. After, Luzanilla gave him a fist bump and walked away.
However, when he checked the security camera footage Luzanilla confirmed his gut feeling.
"I was mad. I was upset," he said. "The safety of my customers is number one."
The GrubHub driver left and Luzanilla rushed to call the customer to tell them their food was contaminated and urged them not to eat it. After numerous attempts, the restaurant owner said he finally got a hold of the patron and promised to deliver them a new meal.
Grubhub said they terminated the driver and reached out to the owner.
"The vast majority of our orders are completed without incident or complaint and when things don't go as planned, we work hard to make things right," the food delivery company said in a statement.
Luzanilla said that he has not heard from Grubhub yet.
In 2019, KCAL News investigative reporter David Goldstein set up hidden cameras in restaurants and caught food delivery drivers digging into different orders.
In response, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors considered looking into tamperproof delivery bags but no action was ever taken.
In the past two years, many restaurants and food delivery services have added a tamperproof sticker to indicate if someone has tainted the meal. However, their effectiveness varies.
Customers who heard about Luzanilla's action showed up on Tuesday to support him and restaurant.
Following this incident, Luzanilla, who was once a tow truck driver who could barely afford food, made a promise to all delivery drivers who passed through his restaurant.
"I'll bless you guys. I'll feed you guys," he said.
