McDonald's worker allegedly put fries in mouth, served them to her ex

A former McDonald’s worker in Massachusetts who was caught on camera allegedly grabbing a handful of french fries, putting them in her mouth and then serving them to a drive-thru customer has been charged in court.

Authorities say Kaylie M. Santos, 22, targeted her ex-girlfriend with the contaminated fries while working as a night manager at a McDonald's in Southbridge, Massachusetts, roughly 20 miles southwest of Worcester. An investigation into Santos was launched after a video of her actions went viral.

Santos is charged with distributing food with a harmful substance, according to court records obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network. She is slated to be arraigned on June 5 in Dudley District Court. 

No attorneys were listed for Santos in online court records as of Monday morning.

Here's what to know about the video that went viral and the investigation.

Double dipping

An investigation into Santos was launched after a 14-second video captured at a McDonald's in Southbridge went viral online. It shows Santos allegedly putting several french fries in her mouth before placing them in a serving container held by another employee, according to court documents reviewed by the Telegram & Gazette.

Santos then repeats the action, smiling and laughing, with more fries going into the same container.

The incident happened on April 9, according to surveillance footage from the fast-food restaurant.  

Per court documents, police said that at 10:23 p.m. local time, Santos was seen at the drive-thru window conversing with a customer. She then went to the fry station and grabbed a take-out bag. A crew member is seen placing a carton in it, according to authorities.

Santos is then spotted grabbing her cell phone as her coworker prepares a second order of fries. Santos then grabs the empty carton, appearing to spit into it, before wiping her lips with her right hand. Both employees are observed laughing on the surveillance footage, police said.

Santos grabs her cell phone and is seen taking a selfie video as she puts numerous fries in her mouth before placing them into the carton. 

Santos is then seen placing the second, now full, carton into the to-go bag. Santos then walks to the drive-thru window and hands the bag to the customer. Video surveillance shows Santos and the other crew member laughing about the incident.

Witness says she used to date Santos for two years

By watching the drive-thru surveillance footage, police identified the customer who allegedly received the contaminated fries. 

Sgt. Evan T. Genkos interviewed the woman who received the fries on May 12. The witness said she had seen the video posted online and confirmed she was the one who received the fries.

The witness said she and Santos dated for approximately two years and broke up in October 2024. She said Santos was mad because she is now dating someone else, and accused Santos of harassing her and her new partner, court records show. 

The witness said she only ordered two Dr Peppers but was handed a bag of fries, too. The witness said she didn’t think much of it, took the fries and ate them. 

"Santos, who worked as a manager at McDonald’s, was held to a higher standard as she was expected to lead the shift operations by ensuring high-quality food, friendly service and overall cleanliness of not only the restaurant but of the food being served as well,” Genkos wrote in his report, per court records. “In this case, Santos failed to adhere to the safe handling and cleanliness of the food provided to all customers, including (the witness). The incident was targeted directly to (the witness) as she and Santos had been in a dating relationship in the past. At this point, it does not appear any other customers were affected with Santos’ actions.” 

A non-trespass order against Santos was completed and signed on May 12 by the Sellia Group, which owns and operates the McDonald’s.

Following an internal investigation, Santos and the other employee were suspended and subsequently fired, according to the Sellia Group.

“Immediately upon learning of the incident, the individuals were suspended, and after conducting an internal investigation, they are no longer employed by our organization,” the Sellia Group said, per the Telegram & Gazette.

'This is a terrible thing'

Daniel Wasiuk, the public health director in Southbridge, first inspected the McDonald's after the investigation started and said he found no wider health code violations. 

The Sellia Group called the employees’ actions "unacceptable" and not a reflection of the organization's food-safety standards and values. 

In his 30 years as a police officer, Woodson said he had never seen a video like the one that sparked the investigation. "This is a terrible thing," he told the Telegram & Gazette. "The person should not work in the industry and I hope they don't get another job in the industry."

Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].