A reminder to all as to what really goes on behind closed doors (restaurant kitchens)

This kind of thing has been going on forever. Look at typhoid Mary for example. They will just go somewhere else and continue their same behavior. Back then she was forced into permanent isolation. I don't think they can do much legally anymore unless someone actually does a person harm and then they just cover it up. They will have someone fill out a statement and tell them what to say so that they don't get sued. They did it to a coworker of mine years ago. And one lone woman shouting from the rooftops isn't gonna stop that. All it's gonna accomplish is her being unemployed. End of story.
 

Everything posted above also applies to hospitals in South Australia
Last time I was in a private hospital I was in a 2 bed share room and the Cleaner (at least I think that's what she was) went into our ensuite and at the time I thought something was odd....she had NO cleaning equipment with her and because of patient safety they do not store cleaning products in hospital rooms. The Cleaner stayed in the ensuite for a few minutes came out then said a cheery goodbye and I didn't see her again in the 4 days I stayed in
I had been in this same room a year earlier and huz gave me a potted plant which somehow ended up on the floor so I asked for the dirt to be picked up and put back in the plant pot....and no-one could find a dustpan and brush???? The Student Nurse came in and scooped up the dirt in her hands....she did NOT wash her hands after :sick:
Some loose dirt was left in 2 corners of the room and would you believe the same dirt was in the same 2 corners when I ended up in this sad room a year later. I had taken a couple of photos so I had a record of it
I did complain and after writing a letter of complaint to the hospital board they graciously 🤬 refunded my hospital fee
I complained to the Australian Medical Association and basically anyone who should be interested in patient safety
Yikes! 😱. Now THAT is REALLY bad!!!!!!
 
The Gordon Ramsey show where he overhauls failing restaurants scares me more than anything. When we witness the horrible lack of sanitation in some of those kitchens it has to make you question what does the kitchen look like in your favorite restaurant?
 
The Gordon Ramsey show where he overhauls failing restaurants scares me more than anything. When we witness the horrible lack of sanitation in some of those kitchens it has to make you question what does the kitchen look like in your favorite restaurant?
My thoughts exactly, FM!
 
This kind of thing happens in lots of other businesses, as well. The reality is that management will find a way to get rid of an employee who complains, and all that will have been accomplished is that the employee is now out of a job, and possibly blackballed so he/she will never find a job in the industry again, which of course isn't supposed to happen, but it still does. I cannot fault a person who doesn't "stand up" to management when the only thing that will result is that person's unemployment. And as to blackballing, despite the laws about references, all it takes it for management to give a legal written reference, and then pick up the phone and inform the new potential employer off the record that the applicant is a troublemaker.
Re: Blackballing a fired employee. I was in that situation after I was terminated for complaining about a dangerous situation.
There are privacy laws that prohibit an employer from bad mouthing a former employee. My employer had no problem violating them.

How do I know I was blackballed? I started to get suspicious when I wasn't receiving any return calls from jobs I applied for.
I disguised my voice & called my former employer, posing as a manager of a big store & said I was calling about an applicant (me) who listed your company on his application & I want to know what kind of employee he was.
My former employee started her answer with: "Well, normally I don't do this because it violates privacy laws, but......." Then she went on & on about what a terrible employee I was - all lies, of course.

I made sure it cost her - BIG TIME.
 
Re: Blackballing a fired employee. I was in that situation after I was terminated for complaining about a dangerous situation.
There are privacy laws that prohibit an employer from bad mouthing a former employee. My employer had no problem violating them.

How do I know I was blackballed? I started to get suspicious when I wasn't receiving any return calls from jobs I applied for.
I disguised my voice & called my former employer, posing as a manager of a big store & said I was calling about an applicant (me) who listed your company on his application & I want to know what kind of employee he was.
My former employee started her answer with: "Well, normally I don't do this because it violates privacy laws, but......." Then she went on & on about what a terrible employee I was - all lies, of course.

I made sure it cost her - BIG TIME.
ROFLMAO!

That's what they all say! :giggle:
 
Constant video of staff is worthless unless someone is watching all the footage ...... or does the average person expect them to search through days/ weeks/ etc ,,,,,,,, in case of a complaint?
This would bring up a whole other issue of how long they are required to store video etc.
Even cloud storage is not always free.

I am sure that one of the most important aspects of food handling ( bathroom habits ) is off limits for video ..... for obvious privacy issues.

I think back a couple of years and Chipotle had a huge issue they tried to blame on produce suppliers although they could not explain why other chains/ restaurants etc were not affected ......... they used same suppliers....

They literally closed restaurants ....... in some markets.......... for almost a week to deep clean and re- educate staff .....
it was revealed they had many citations and issues but there is no follow through.....

Why they did not go under?.....
Simple the public has the attention span of a gnat and think oh they fixed that..... being caught making a big PR splash of cleaning and BAM all is good .......( in my area public actually complained why did they close....... they looked in windows said no one is cleaning).

All willing to spend money because no one in their circle / family got sick so...... it did not happen ........
Why does it seem no one can learn from examples .... they must experience it firsthand........ this applies to many issues.
 
Constant video of staff is worthless unless someone is watching all the footage ...... or does the average person expect them to search through days/ weeks/ etc ,,,,,,,, in case of a complaint?
This would bring up a whole other issue of how long they are required to store video etc.
Even cloud storage is not always free.

I am sure that one of the most important aspects of food handling ( bathroom habits ) is off limits for video ..... for obvious privacy issues.

I think back a couple of years and Chipotle had a huge issue they tried to blame on produce suppliers although they could not explain why other chains/ restaurants etc were not affected ......... they used same suppliers....

They literally closed restaurants ....... in some markets.......... for almost a week to deep clean and re- educate staff .....
it was revealed they had many citations and issues but there is no follow through.....

Why they did not go under?.....
Simple the public has the attention span of a gnat and think oh they fixed that..... being caught making a big PR splash of cleaning and BAM all is good .......( in my area public actually complained why did they close....... they looked in windows said no one is cleaning).

All willing to spend money because no one in their circle / family got sick so...... it did not happen ........
Why does it seem no one can learn from examples .... they must experience it firsthand........ this applies to many issues.
Minimum, every kitchen should have a fulltime supervisor overseeing all kitchen duties, a no-nonsense supervisor who isn't afraid to crack the whip and lay the law down.

But, as with so many things in this world today, nothing changes.

In today's self-serving and greed hungry world, change starts at the bottom, not at the top.

Dear husband and I have been to a few Denny's restaurants over the years, and while we've heard a lot from others, things such as, "ewww, the food is terrible there", and "what a dump", yet we've never once had a bum meal there, the establishments were always clean, and twice yearly they close and lock their doors so that a professional deep-cleaning team can sanitize the kitchen area. Every nook and cranny is gone over and covered, appliances included.
 
Minimum, every kitchen should have a fulltime supervisor overseeing all kitchen duties, a no-nonsense supervisor who isn't afraid to crack the whip and lay the law down.

But, as with so many things in this world today, nothing changes.

In today's self-serving and greed hungry world, change starts at the bottom, not at the top.

Dear husband and I have been to a few Denny's restaurants over the years, and while we've heard a lot from others, things such as, "ewww, the food is terrible there", and "what a dump", yet we've never once had a bum meal there, the establishments were always clean, and twice yearly they close and lock their doors so that a professional deep-cleaning team can sanitize the kitchen area. Every nook and cranny is gone over and covered, appliances included.
How many surprise inspections have you performed in their kitchen? Temperature checks where food is stored?
Unless you're a trained health department inspector, you are assuming what you're saying about their sanitizing procedures.

A "Full Time Kitchen Supervisor?" Who's going to pay for that when restaurants can't make it as it is?

You are correct about a "Greed-Hungry World," but change will never start at the bottom because the people at the bottom don't run the show & if they complain, they'll be fired. Again, it's "Reality vs Fantasy." The "Real World" vs a "Make Believe World."

We have a letter grade system in my area. Health Dept. Inspectors will give restaurants a letter grade (A, B, C, D,) after inspection & that letter has to be posted in their front window. If a restaurant gets anything below "C", it is closed until required improvements are made.
After several Health Inspectors were living way above their means, an investigation revealed that they were making a fortune selling "A's" to restaurants that didn't pass inspection. That's what goes on in the real world.
 
AS pointed out by win231 ......... you are not changing law and rules to fix this ......... as there is always a loophole or work around....
you need to CHANGE people. That is like herding cats.

Laws and rules are not always followed.........and often are nothing but a hoop / or maze for those who follow rules to jump through .........
 
How many surprise inspections have you performed in their kitchen? Temperature checks where food is stored?
Unless you're a trained health department inspector, you are assuming what you're saying about their sanitizing procedures.

A "Full Time Kitchen Supervisor?" Who's going to pay for that when restaurants can't make it as it is?

You are correct about a "Greed-Hungry World," but change will never start at the bottom because the people at the bottom don't run the show & if they complain, they'll be fired. Again, it's "Reality vs Fantasy." The "Real World" vs a "Make Believe World."

We have a letter grade system in my area. Health Dept. Inspectors will give restaurants a letter grade (A, B, C, D,) after inspection & that letter has to be posted in their front window. If a restaurant gets anything below "C", it is closed until required improvements are made.
After several Health Inspectors were living way above their means, an investigation revealed that they were making a fortune selling "A's" to restaurants that didn't pass inspection. That's what goes on in the real world.
With that said, I guess, Bon Appétit to all. :giggle:
 
A friend of mine works for the health inspector and he said a restaurant bathroom is dirty most likely the kitchen is dirty.
It's been roughly a whole year since dear husband and I ventured out for a meal, but thanks to all of the information in this thread, one year will pale in comparison to how long it will be before we ever even think about going out for a meal again, never mind actually go out.
 
It's been roughly a whole year since dear husband and I ventured out for a meal, but thanks to all of the information in this thread, one year will pale in comparison to how long it will be before we ever even think about going out for a meal again, never mind actually go out.
Aw, C'mon. A little Salmonella & E-Coli never hurt anyone. :ROFLMAO:
 
How many surprise inspections have you performed in their kitchen? Temperature checks where food is stored?
Unless you're a trained health department inspector, you are assuming what you're saying about their sanitizing procedures.

A "Full Time Kitchen Supervisor?" Who's going to pay for that when restaurants can't make it as it is?

You are correct about a "Greed-Hungry World," but change will never start at the bottom because the people at the bottom don't run the show & if they complain, they'll be fired. Again, it's "Reality vs Fantasy." The "Real World" vs a "Make Believe World."

We have a letter grade system in my area. Health Dept. Inspectors will give restaurants a letter grade (A, B, C, D,) after inspection & that letter has to be posted in their front window. If a restaurant gets anything below "C", it is closed until required improvements are made.
After several Health Inspectors were living way above their means, an investigation revealed that they were making a fortune selling "A's" to restaurants that didn't pass inspection. That's what goes on in the real world.
We have FT supervisors but they sit in the office. They have work to do too. Plus as professionals we shouldn't have to babysit grown ass adults who know better.
 
Aw, C'mon. A little Salmonella & E-Coli never hurt anyone. :ROFLMAO:
LOL!

And maybe even a little cigarette ash, too, and who knows what else. :giggle:

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IMO there is a risk anytime you allow someone else to handle/prepare your food.

Commercially processed or improperly stored, meat and poultry, cold cuts, dairy, baked goods, frozen or canned food can have all of the same issues that restaurant food may have.

I don't eat at potluck meals unless I know the people that prepared the food and how they live.

IMO we all need to trust our best judgment and decide for ourselves just how much risk each of us is willing to accept.

For me, there is still nothing better than that last piece of pizza that spent Saturday night on the kitchen counter waiting for me to stumble in on Sunday morning. :giggle:

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Re: Blackballing a fired employee. I was in that situation after I was terminated for complaining about a dangerous situation.
There are privacy laws that prohibit an employer from bad mouthing a former employee. My employer had no problem violating them.
Were you employed at will?
 
Haven't eaten in a restaurant in so long!

I try not to think about what goes on or I wouldn't eat.
 


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