Professionals, what's your 'can't turn it off' story?

I'm sure, like me, many of you have had moments when eating out or when seeing a food establishment on TV that give you pause or make you cringe.   Share your story here!

Driving to work and seeing some jack-ass at the damn bus stop wearing his apron! 

Like hey, you can put that on after you get to the restaurant you know!!!!! 

Watching two counter employees at a Starbucks at ATL while awaiting a flight.

1. Female employee - picked her nose and then proceeded to redistribute the lemon curd topping on a danish for a customer .... with the same finger.

2. Male employee - customer asks for a chocolate donut with a gooey white icing on top... puts his hand down his pants, scratches his butt a couple of times and then bare-hands the donut to the customer.

And people wonder why I don't like Starbucks!

A person picking something off the floor and then not changing their gloves. The apron one bugs me too and I see it all the time especially if they are going on a smoke break.

As for on TV - there have been many articles written on this.

Hairnets not worn by servers on fresh food counters in grocery stores (supermarkets).

Annoying when employees working in food packaging businesses have to. :dunno:

Tea towels at other peoples' houses  :rolleyes:

Always one or two hung up somewhere in the kitchen. They live a life that goes something like: Handle raw chicken, turn on tap to wash hands, touch same tap to turn it off, dry hands on tea towel, hang it up to fester for a while, wash some produce and dry using the same towel, hang to fester again, maybe dry some plates and glasses with it before using them to serve food/drink, wipe a side or two to accrue some food residues (got to provide nourishment for all the lovely bacteria that now live on it...), repeat for an indefinite period of days using the same towel. Horrid damp things passing endless bacteria back and forth between pretty much everything in the kitchen :headhurts:    :uhm:

Tea towels at other peoples' houses  :rolleyes:

Always one or two hung up somewhere in the kitchen. They live a life that goes something like: Handle raw chicken, turn on tap to wash hands, touch same tap to turn it off, dry hands on tea towel, hang it up to fester for a while, wash some produce and dry using the same towel, hang to fester again, maybe dry some plates and glasses with it before using them to serve food/drink, wipe a side or two to accrue some food residues (got to provide nourishment for all the lovely bacteria that now live on it...), repeat for an indefinite period of days using the same towel. Horrid damp things passing endless bacteria back and forth between pretty much everything in the kitchen :headhurts:    :uhm:

That is why I have two towels in my kitchen at all times - one for drying my hands, the other for drying dishes. I always know which one is which by the location of the towel. For better and sometimes worse, my food safety hat is never off like most people on this site. :gleam:

That is why I have two towels in my kitchen at all times - one for drying my hands, the other for drying dishes. I always know which one is which by the location of the towel. For better and sometimes worse, my food safety hat is never off like most people on this site. :gleam:

Do you have an SOP for towel segregation?  Are you color coding?  :) 

Do you have an SOP for towel segregation?  Are you color coding?  :) 

No SOP but I have instructed individuals on my policy. I am not color coding - I determined based upon observation that it adds for potential error.  :cheezy:

You guys use cloth towels for drying hands and dishes???

Hmmm.

You guys use cloth towels for drying hands and dishes???

 

Hmmm.

^My respect for this gentleman continues to increase :shades:

Treat yourselves to a bulk pack of blue paper towel rolls ;)

Oh no! I have to now seriously think about my tea towels at home. I can't believe I dont have ANY SOP for that. 

Also very grossed out by the Starbucks story:(

I witnessed a cook at a restaurant that had to wear a hair net and a beard snood on his chin and jaw, but nothing on the upper lip.

The guy was sporting a full muttonchop...

"Open Plan", multiple, cake display counters. An invitation to daily horror shows.

Oh no! I have to now seriously think about my tea towels at home. I can't believe I dont have ANY SOP for that. 

Also very grossed out by the Starbucks story:(

Yes, that was a top ten.

The maintenance man running thru the biscuit factory shooting a pellet gun at a bird ranks up there too!  What a life we have in this industry, the things you will see! 

pizza prep staff at one of the retailers chewing gum every single time I see her, when the retailer give us silly non-conformances and unreasoneable requirements during the audits

1. Performed a co-packer audit, at which facility the manager maintained an office approximately 10 feet from the production room where he was openly and HEAVILY smoking.  Every surface in the office was yellow and smoke was wafting out of his open office door into the warehouse. 

2. I always inspect bathrooms when I go to a new restaurant.  Dirty bathrooms lose my business and also give me nightmares. 

3. I also got onto my husband the other day for allowing the fruit strainer he was using for my toddler's breakfast to come in contact with the sink drain.   :dunno:  Don't feel sorry for him - he knew what he married!   :lol:

Went to a fast-food chain once, lady was at the cash register. Other employees were processing orders as slow as humanly possible, so she turns around, puts on some poly gloves and starts making an order. No hand washing, just finished touching all this money (and the register), then contaminated the gloves and the food. Once she finished the order, she threw away the gloves, and went back to handling money.

This is why I try NOT to watch food preparation, as I'd like to enjoy eating my food.

Chinese restaurant a few years ago- the waitress had a stinking cold and could barely get her words out as she asked us for our order. Brought the food out and genuinely wiped her Rudolph-red nose on her left sleeve which happened to have either mine or my partner's dish in the hand next to it. Makes me dread to think what sh was getting up to behind closed doors that night!

I also was led through the kitchen of the Chinese takeaway next door to my friends' house a few weeks ago as they thought I was the neighbour and they wanted to ask me to get my (their) dog to stop barking at the owner when he goes on the roof to clean it. Saw a bucket of sloppy discoloured chicken on the floor and pointed asking 'do you always keep that here?' and the man just went 'its chicken'.  :doh:

Having said that it takes a fair amount to frighten me off a bit of chow mein and hoi sin duck!

Just last week when paying at the supermarket, the lady at the cash register dropped a package of cookies and when I told her that "now I don't want it because it fell to the floor" she replies: "There is no problem,  it's wrapped"

:helpplease:

Leila

Just last week when paying at the supermarket, the lady at the cash register dropped a package of cookies and when I told her that "now I don't want it because it fell to the floor" she replies: "There is no problem,  it's wrapped"

:helpplease:

Leila

I watched a cashier at a national fast food chain drop my hamburger on the floor, pick it up, and put it back in the bag.  When I confronted her, she too ensured me that "It's fine - it was wrapped".  :headhurts:

Tea towels at other peoples' houses  :rolleyes:

Always one or two hung up somewhere in the kitchen. They live a life that goes something like: Handle raw chicken, turn on tap to wash hands, touch same tap to turn it off, dry hands on tea towel, hang it up to fester for a while, wash some produce and dry using the same towel, hang to fester again, maybe dry some plates and glasses with it before using them to serve food/drink, wipe a side or two to accrue some food residues (got to provide nourishment for all the lovely bacteria that now live on it...), repeat for an indefinite period of days using the same towel. Horrid damp things passing endless bacteria back and forth between pretty much everything in the kitchen :headhurts:    :uhm:

 

Bro, I am just a Texas red neck, but this post was awesome to read. I have no idea what a tea towel is, but if you ever move to Provo Utah USA let me know because I dig your style.

 

Sincerely,

 

Plastic Ducky

Years ago- 

Looked into the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant to see a cigarette butt hanging out of the mouth of the cook, while cooking, with an ash as long as the cigarette used to be. I didn't know whether to be grossed out or impressed. 

 

 

Bro, I am just a Texas red neck, but this post was awesome to read. I have no idea what a tea towel is, but if you ever move to Provo Utah USA let me know because I dig your style.

 

Sincerely,

 

Plastic Ducky

Ha, thanks :biggrin:

Tea towels are a hideous invention. Small cotton towels that are theoretically used for drying glasses, plates, cutlery etc after washing, but in practice they're a perfect micro vector masquerading as a soggy rag ;)