Three customers say their drive‑thru drinks from the McDonald’s on 75th Street in Paddock Lake came with worms this week, and Kenosha County inspectors have now taken the restaurant’s drive‑thru soda machine out of service. The complaints set off a round of social‑media posts and triggered a county inspection that found structural damage beneath the dispenser. Under county rules, the machine has to stay offline until repairs are finished and a follow‑up inspection signs off on it.
The situation blew up after local customer Jazmyne Gurske posted photos of a worm in her cup and two other patrons shared similar images, according to TMJ4. One of those customers, Joe Hauenstein, told the station he had already drunk about half his sweet tea before "a worm slithered up his straw" and into his mouth.
County Inspection Flags Damage and Possible Back‑Siphon Issue
An inspection report on file with the Kenosha County Division of Health states that the "tiles under the drive‑thru soda and ice machine are severely damaged" and notes that management told inspectors they had seen worms coming from a sewage receptacle. The report also says recent flooding may have caused a failure in the floor drain, which could have allowed water to back‑siphon into machine components and contaminate drinking lines.
Franchisee Response and What Happens Next
Store management told inspectors they brought in a pest‑control company and expected tile repairs to be completed soon, TMJ4 reports. According to the station, the on‑duty manager directed calls to the McDonald's licensee, McEssy Investment Co., and multiple messages to the company had gone unanswered as of the time of the inspection.
What Customers Should Know
If you bought a drink from that drive‑thru and are feeling sick, contact your health care provider. To check inspection records or report an illness, call the Kenosha County Division of Health at 262‑605‑6700 or visit the Kenosha County site.
