Where’s the Beef?

You might not remember Ricky Labit by name. But you likely remember the last time he had an issue with a restaurant. It was 2008 and the 6 foot 3, 265 pound former offshore worker had complained about the Manchuria Restaurant in Houma. After filling his buffet plate with frog legs, shrimp boulettes and other goodies, Ricky claimed he was charged double, as did his cousin who was eating with him.

The story went all over the country, and Jerry Springer tried to have him on the show, as did other celebrities.

“I was just standing up for what I believed was right,” Ricky said while recalling his fifteen minutes back then. “There should be more people like me, it would make the world better.”

Perhaps, if the folks at the Burger King at Tunnel Boulevard and Polk Street knew who he was, the cops might not have been called.

Ricky had been seeing commercials on the television about this special, two Whoppers for $6, and decided to try it out.

“I got my order, two whoppers and two hamburgers and I got home, kicked my shoes off, sat and opened the sack and opened the small hamburger,” Ricky said. “It was good, it had meat on it, pickles and ketchup and mustard and I go to eat my second hamburger and I took a bite on it and it tasted funny. I looked and it had ketchup and mustard and two pickles on the bun but there was no meat whatsoever. No meat had touched the bun. No meat What-so-ever.”

Ricky ruminated for a While. Should he make a fuss? Should he not make a fuss?

“At first I said to hell with it,” he said. “But the more I sat here watching the TV I said no, this is ripping customers off. So I got back in my car and went back to the Burger King again and it was like a joke to them.”

There was some discussion with the manager on duty but there was no resolution for Ricky.

He could call another manager named Randall. But the number he tried for Randall didn’t work.

So Ricky called the Houma Police but they said the Burger King was not in their jurisdiction. So he called the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff ‘3 Office.

To Ricky’s credit, he did not demand that a deputy show up to discuss the missing meat.

“I’d rather they were out looking for people who commit crimes, hunting criminals,” Ricky said.

But a deputy did call and there was a report taken and it has a complaint number which now makes it part of the official record. This made Ricky feel better but no less taken.

So Saturday he went to the Burger King and met in person with Randall H111.

“He came to see me,” Russell said.

Randall duplicated the order Ricky had, and peace was made. There would be no picket signs like happened last time with Manchuria. But Ricky is offended, and says he doesn’t expect to go back.

“I Wish they would have called me that night and let me know,” Randall later said. “They tell us to make sure we take care of the customer. He is right.”

Where’s the Beef?Where’s the Beef?