A restaurant in south-east Georgia, US, hit a snag last week when employees at Sonic restaurant found a large snake behind the fryer.
It is reported that workers cooking burgers and chicken at the restaurant fled after discovering the intruder hiding behind the deep fryer.
According to The Brunswick News, workers made a frantic call to the police and described a snake that matched the description of a rattlesnake. But it was actually a ball python seeking warmth behind the fryer.
There was a holdup Saturday at the Sonic Drive-In, but not the type for which police are typically called. https://t.co/x4MPhhdt8x
“When I first got the call, they said it was brown and had diamonds on the back. So I thought, wow. Then I thought, well, I need to look at it first. When I saw it, I could tell it was just a ball python and not a rattlesnake,” said Brunswick Police Department Lieutenant Matthew Wilson, according to the news site.
They reported that Wilson was not sure how the snake wound up in the kitchen of the restaurant but believed it was an abandoned or escaped pet. He told the news company that the reptile likely entered the restaurant through an open door, and being a cold-blooded animal, the snake would naturally gravitate toward the hot fryer.
“Sonic leaves a back door open quite a bit. I’m thinking he was very thirsty and very hungry and was out on the hunt. And he found a warm place behind the fryer. They like the warmth,” he said. Wilson not only removed the large, non-venomous snake but also found it a new home with a friend who has a large terrarium and a fondness for snakes, reported The Brunswick News.