Michigan man says son, 6, ordered $1K in food from Grubhub

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Category: Human Interest

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. smorgasbord / ˈsmɔr gəsˌbɔrd / (n.) – a collection of different foods and dishes served together
    Example:

    My friend ordered a smorgasbord of Japanese food.


  2. pile up / paɪl ʌp / (phrasal v.) – to increase in amount or number to something difficult to manage
    Example:

    The cars began to pile up behind the scene of the accident.


  3. reach out to (someone) / ritʃ aʊt tu / (phrasal v.) – to communicate to someone
    Example:

    I reached out to the company about their open positions.


  4. skit / skɪt  / (n.) – a short and funny performance that makes a joke about something
    Example:

    The audience laughed at the actors’ skit on corrupt politicians.


  5. out of nowhere / aʊt ʌv ˈnoʊˌʰwɛər / (idiom) – sudden or unexpected
    Example:

    The cat surprised me when it jumped out of nowhere.


Article

Read the text below.

A Michigan man says he was left with a $1,000 bill after his 6-year-old son ordered a virtual smorgasbord of food from several restaurants, leading to a string of unexpected deliveries — and maybe a starring role in an ad campaign.


Keith Stonehouse said the food piled up quickly at his Detroit-area home after he let his son, Mason, use his cellphone to play a game before bed. He said the youngster instead used his father’s Grubhub account to order food from one restaurant after another.


The boy’s mother, Kristin Stonehouse, told The Associated Press that Grubhub has reached out to the family and offered them a $1,000 gift card. The company also is considering using the family in an online promotional campaign, she said. Grubhub officials did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment.


Keith Stonehouse said he was alone with his son while his wife was at the movies when Mason ordered jumbo shrimp, salads, shawarma and chicken pita sandwiches, chili cheese fries and other foods that one Grubhub driver after another delivered to their Chesterfield Township home.


“This was like something out of a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit,” Keith Stonehouse told MLive.com.


He added: “I don’t really find it funny yet, but I can laugh with people a little bit. It’s a lot of money and it kind of came out of nowhere.”


Keith Stonehouse said his son ordered food from so many different places that Chase Bank sent him a fraud alert declining a $439 order from Happy’s Pizza. But Mason’s $183 order of jumbo shrimp from the same restaurant went through and arrived at the family’s house.


Stonehouse said it took the arrival of a few orders of food for him to realize what was going on. By that time, there was nothing he could do to stop the orders from coming.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Grubhub reached out to the Stonehouse family and is considering using the family in an online ad campaign. Why do you think the company did so? Discuss.
  • Chase Bank sent Stonehouse a fraud alert and declined some orders. What do you think of the bank’s action? What other steps can businesses do to prevent unintentional online transactions (ex. stricter verification process for online orders)? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Stonehouse said he doesn’t really find the incident funny yet. How do you find this incident (ex. funny, alarming)? Discuss.
  • If you were one of Mason’s parents, what would you do in this situation (ex. prevent him from using a gadget, explain the consequences of his actions)? Discuss.