A pizza shop employee had to chase a pigeon out of the store during a media interview about viral images of the scavengers standing inside and eating the toppings that were about to be served to customers.
Three birds were caught this weekend gorging on the toppings at a counter at the Crust store in Neutral Bay, on Sydney’s lower north shore.
A passerby filmed the sickening incident with no staff to scare them away, and uploaded footage to social media, where it quickly went viral and caused a PR disaster for the chain.
Just days later, when A Current Affair arrived to interview the staff about what had happened, they encountered another pigeon problem.
During filming, a bird flew into the store, forcing the now bird-conscious employee to interrupt the interview and delete it.
Two more pigeons were seen sitting on a nearby street sign, waiting for their moment to help themselves to dinner.
The employee explained that the birds have become particularly opportunistic and that the store has now taken various measures to prevent them from entering.
He added that if pigeons get into the food, it should all be thrown away and the pizza preparation area should be thoroughly disinfected.
A Crust pizza shop employee at the center of a pigeon controversy was forced to chase away one of the birds during an interview (pictured)
A spokesperson for the store previously said Daily Mail Australia staff had also been instructed to keep lids on food at all times.
“A comprehensive Food Standards Review has also been carried out and operational best practice has been reinforced across the Crust store network to limit any future unexpected visits,” a spokesperson said.
‘Now equipped with an electric scarecrow device, we can confirm that the shop is back open and making the tastiest and crust-worthy pizzas on the market.’
Two more pigeons were seen sitting on a nearby street sign, looking toward the store and an opportunity to enter.
Footage of three pigeons browsing through the food and walking through the preparation area has been viewed more than 1 million times in just three days (pictured)
Many commenters on the original video were disgusted by the spot where the pigeons frolicked among the toppings.
“Never eating Crust pizza again,” someone commented.
A second said they had placed their ‘last ever Crust order’.
“Yeah, I’m not going there,” said a third.
There were some who were amused by the sight.
“Crust pizza… pigeon approved,” wrote one.
Crust is the third largest pizza chain in Australia with 136 outlets, operating as individual franchises.