A KFC customer in Foshan’s Nanhai District was taken to hospital and given a free meal on August 11 after he had to spit out a beetle that was in his milk tea, Yangcheng Evening News reports.

At around 8 p.m. Mr. Guo took his family to the KFC in Xintiandi Plaza to get something to drink that would cool them down. They each ordered milk tea with chocolate “beads.” According to eyewitnesses, Guo drank very quickly. When he finished he started chewing one of the beads before he started retching and spat out the beetle that had already been disfigured, which suggests it had been chewed for at least a few seconds.

Picture snapped by Mrs. Yang, via Yangcheng Evening News

Guo’s wife, Mrs. Yang, gave the restaurant a piece of her mind.

“It’s such a huge brand, how can we trust them again? We often spend money here, how could this happen?”

After repentant staff gave them a free meal and took Guo to hospital, the family finally went home at 12:30 am.

The KFC confirmed the incident with the newspaper. Staff explained that there are many trees in the vicinity and the weather has been hot recently. Insects probably come in when customers open the door, a worker explained.

The restaurant also compensated the family 300 yuan, even though they never asked. The doctor’s check-up confirmed that Guo was fine.

Yum Brands could do without PR problems in China right now. The Financial Times reported yesterday that the brand’s businesses in China had fared worse than anticipated, feeding concern that the company was struggling in one of its key markets.

The company has fought to repair its reputation in China since allegations in late 2012 that it violated food safety regulations by injecting poultry with antiviral drugs and growth hormones.