A teenage McDonald's employee from South Carolina was charged Wednesday after allegedly spitting phlegm into a mother and daughter's cups of sweet tea.
Authorities said the two women ordered the drinks from the McDonald's in Simpsonville, in the state's northwest, on Saturday and returned them when they found they were not sweetened, WYFF-TV reported.

After finding the drinks were still not correct when they got them back, the pair took them home to add their own sweetener -- only to find phlegm floating in each of their drinks.

Greenville County deputies charged 19-year-old Marvin Washington Jr. with unlawful and malicious tampering with food.

The owner-operator of the McDonald's franchise, John Kennedy, said in a statement that he wanted to assure "customers that my restaurant has the most stringent food safety and quality standards and ... caution anyone from reaching a conclusion without the facts.

"Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of my customers."