Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Woman Dragged After Calling Cops On Popular BBQ Joint For Serving Smoked Meat That's 'Pink'

Clyde Cooper's BBQ storefront; Screenshot of Annie Cooke's negative Yelp review
Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ in Raleigh, North Carolina, shared the woman's one-star review on Facebook, and called her out for her ignorance about how smoked meat is supposed to look.

In business, they say the customer is always right. But that isn't always the case.

Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque (CCB) in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been serving customers quality BBQ for 82 years and has been a staple in the community.


But the establishment was reminded that–despite of all the positive accolades and national renown for excellent barbecue–they can't please every customer.

The restaurant was given a one-star Yelp review from a woman who reportedly complained about the meat she had ordered was pink and then subsequently called the cops on them for it.

BBQ lovers know that when smoked meats are cooked and turn pink in color, they are perfectly ready for consumption.

The pinkish tinge in smoked meats is called the smoke ring. It is due to the presence of myoglobin, a compound that turns a darkish brown color when meat is overcooked.

The pink indicates the meat has been exposed to sufficient amounts of smoke to give it that wood-kissed flavor that so many BBQ connoisseurs crave.

CCB tried to explain this to Annie Cooke and even gave her chicken to appease her, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from calling 911, filing a police report, and writing a complaint on Yelp.

In her one-star review of CCB, Cooke claimed she had the "worst customer service" because the "barbecue was very pink and had lots of fat in it."

She claimed that she tried asking for her "money back or something else" but "they refused to do either."

The screenshot of her now-deleted review was shared by the restaurant owner Debbie Holt, who posted about her interaction with Cooke on Facebookon November 1.

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Holt wrote a response calling out Cooke for wasting the cops' time to complain about a food order when the police could have tended to more pressing matters.

She continued:

"Furthermore, you were given chicken to replace the bbq and told you could keep the perfectly good bbq you thought was raw because you are so ignorant to the fact that bbq turns pink when smoked and you wouldn't listen to us trying to explain that to you."

Holt added:

"You were given that chicken before you left, and then you called the cops. Sad. Sad sad sad."

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

If Cooke intended to smear the restaurant's reputation with her negative review, it backfired.

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook


Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

When word got out about the skirmish, customers came out in droves, resulting in the restaurant running out of food.

The sign in the storefront window indicated some food items were no longer available, which was pretty much their entire menu.

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Commenting on the sudden influx of orders, CCB posted a photo of their barbecue–teasing, "Pink BBQ, anyone?"–and wrote the hashtags, #smoked and #iykyk (if you know you know).

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

According to WRAL, Cooke said she wrote the negative review because she felt the owner of the restaurant was being dismissive of her food order concerns.

Said Cooke:

"That’s just the way I felt–that’s the reason I called the cops, because I couldn’t get my money back or I couldn’t get a different plate."

Holt allegedly offered Cooke a different meal, but she refused.

That was when Cooke was given one piece of chicken in a brown paper bag instead of the whole plate of chicken she was expecting.

Holt said she tried explaining to Cooke why the barbecue was pink and the fact that her mac-n-cheese was not melted was because it was a special smoked cheddar that adds flavor.

None of that registered with Cooke. Other customers also chimed in supporting Holt's explanation.

But Cooke left and called 911.

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

"I kind of snickered a little bit and told her, 'Honey, that's when the barbecue is smoked. It turns pink,’” Holt recalled.

“And she was insistent it wasn't done."

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

In the 911 call, Cooke told the dispatcher:

"I had ordered some food from there and the barbecue is pink."
"I asked for either for them to cook it some more or exchange my order. They are saying that the meat is supposed to be pink."
"I asked for them to change my order and they said they are not giving me my money back or they are not going to trade out the food.”

You can listen to the 911 call transcript in the news report, below.

Woman calls 911 to report ‘pink meat’ at barbecue restaurantyoutu.be

Holt continued:

"When the cop came in though, he had a cute little smile on his face and rolled his eyes, and just had his arms folded."
"I don't even think he said much to me except, ‘I got you'.”

Cooke is reportedly considering filing a civil lawsuit.

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

Clyde Cooper's BBQ/Facebook

In spite of all the drama and Cooke's ignorance, Holt told the news station she has no ill will towards the customer.

“Tell her to come back and I'll educate her about North Carolina, southeastern-style barbecue,” Holt said of Cooke. “I'd be happy to."

WRAL indicated the last health inspection for Clyde Cooper's BBQ resulted in a score of 96.5, which is an A grade.

More from Trending

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less