Woman sues McDonald’s over drive-thru ‘spitting incident’

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All she wanted was a late-night cheeseburger. Instead, a woman is suing fast food giant McDonald’s for more than $300,000, claiming a West Side restaurant employee spit in her face after the two argued via a drive-through speaker.

Sarah Thienes claims she was a passenger in a taxi about 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2009, when she tried to order a cheeseburger through the drive-through lane of the restaurant at 23 N. Western. A store employee allegedly told her in an “aggressive unfriendly tone” that only breakfast menu items were available and she couldn’t have a cheeseburger, according to the suit.

When Thienes tried to order a ham, egg and cheese bagel, the employee “yelled” that bagel sandwiches didn’t come with ham, so she ordered a bagel sandwich with bacon instead. The employee allegedly “continued to scream” at the woman through the drive-through speaker system and, when the taxi approached the pick-up window, the worker “stuck her head out of the window and spit directly onto [Thienes’] face,” according to the suit.