Guest wrangles snakes just outside door of Bossier Chick-fil-A

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) - Eating out is usually pretty simple. For example, when visiting a fast food restaurant, most people will order a burger, some fries, chicken nuggets, maybe eve a salad, but customers at one Bossier City fast food restaurant got to enjoy their meals with a surprising slithery side Thursday evening (June 8).

Imagine dining at Chick-fil-A one evening, or working what you think is a normal dinner rush, when you get a somewhat unpleasant surprise: slithering guests. KSLA’s Michael Barnes was grabbing dinner Thursday evening when a customer, Morgan Kunath, pointed out a couple of snakes on the restaurant’s property. Customers started to gather and told the employees of the Chick-fil-A on Airline Drive that they had unexpected visitors, but they weren’t buying it.

“We didn’t believe them,” said one Chick-fil-A employee, Leah Sanford.

“I thought it was a joke,” said another employee, Thomas Borghardt.

“So we ran outside and just saw them [the snakes] sitting there,” said Sanford.

Borghardt and Sanford say their first instinct was to call the store owner, and then try to handle the problem themselves, but fear held them back.

“I don’t do snakes, so I was terrified,” Sanford said.

“I was a little scared... actually, a lot scared,” Borghardt said.

That’s when Sanford’s uncle, Ron Sepeda, happened to show up just in time to save the day.

“We get out of the car and we see a bunch of people running over here, so we go look and it’s just two little rat snakes,” Sepeda said.

“I was relieved when I saw my uncle, Ron. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, thank God,’” Sanford said.

“He came in like Indiana Jones saving the day. He has the hat and everything,” Borghardt joked.

When asked if he feels like a hero, Sepeda replied, “No no. My niece is the hero over there. She’s the one that handed me the stick to pull it out of there.”

Sepeda says he doesn’t have a background working with animals, but that understanding animals is a sixth sense you develop when living in the south.

“I have a swimming pool and I live near a pond. Every now and then, I’ll get a snake in the pool, but if it’s not a water moccasin or anything poisonous, then I’ll get it out and take it back over there,” said Sepeda.

Sepeda and another customer captured the snakes and put them in some grass nearby. Some people were more relieved by the snakes’ departure than others.

“I would’ve been okay if it was just a normal day at work selling chicken,” said Borghardt.

“I hope I never have to do it again,” Sanford said.

After a less-than-normal day at Chick-fil-A, the snakes slithered off to safety.

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