Restaurant sanitary conditions

[sportage]

With the natural desire for healthy, clean, sanitary conditions when eating out at restaurants, I still cannot believe they expect customers to share condiments.
Half used bottles of ketchup, mustard, and my favorite open runny used bottles of hot sauce.
Nothing more appetizing that ordering breakfast in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress bringing over and plopping down on the table previous shared and used bottles of condiments.
Used bottles of hot sauce with sauce running down the sides, used bottles of ketchup with crusty remains around the opening, and mustard so old the lid is stuck closed.
Why is this acceptable?
Especially for any establishment serving food?
If they short you a fork, why not have the waitress just take a used fork from someones plate, lick it off, and plop it down for you to use?
I mean really, with keeping consistent.

Next time you go out to eat, take a look a the condiments on the table and ask yourself if the person that last used that same ketchup bottle picked their nose while pouring out that red slop on their burger? Or better yet, pick their butt in the restroom?

I find it amazing people accept this with food service.

Oh, and by the way, while at it maybe have that cashier at Walmart wear rubber gloves, you know, as they handle every single food item you purchase.
So many times I've seen cashiers wiping runny noses or coughing into their hand, obviously sick with a cold or worse, then handling every food item you place on the belt.

Just supply that cashier with disposable gloves and make them wear them while scanning all those food items.
Do away with this condiment sharing thing with most all restaurants.
Am I alone in this?
Think about it.
How discussing this practice is.
Especially next time you dine out, and take a glance at that half used, opened ketchup bottle.

 

[Mixolydian]

Am I alone in this?

Yes.

People are touching the bottle, not the contents of said bottle. They also touched the table, the seat, etc...

brb going out to breakfast.

 

[sdifox]

You have a mental condition. I believe it is called hypochondria.

P.S. Do not ever walk into a restaurant kitchen. You will drop dead on the spot.

 

[NetWareHead]

With the natural desire for healthy, clean, sanitary conditions when eating out at restaurants, I still cannot believe they expect customers to share condiments.
Half used bottles of ketchup, mustard, and my favorite open runny used bottles of hot sauce.
Nothing more appetizing that ordering breakfast in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress bringing over and plopping down on the table previous shared and used bottles of condiments.
Used bottles of hot sauce with sauce running down the sides, used bottles of ketchup with crusty remains around the opening, and mustard so old the lid is stuck closed.
Why is this acceptable?
Especially for any establishment serving food?

First off you sound like a buddy of mine that I make fun of constantly for being OCD about germs and sanitation. This guy goes through bottles of hand sanitizer and keeps them everywhere. In his car, workstation, at home etc...

Regarding the condiment bottles, you do have a point that they should be kept clean. I also can't stand when a ketchup bottle is smeared with old dried up ketchup around the opening and under the cap. Every time a waitress cleans a table, just open the ketchup bottle and wipe off the end with a paper towel. Job done. Part of a waitress's job is to clean that stuff and present the customer with clean bottles. However, I have no problem with using ketchup that a previous customer poured on to their fries and burger and then passes me the bottle.

If they short you a fork, why not have the waitress just take a used fork from someones plate, lick it off, and plop it down for you to use?
I mean really, with keeping consistent.

Next time you go out to eat, take a look a the condiments on the table and ask yourself if the person that last used that same ketchup bottle picked their nose while pouring out that red slop on their burger? Or better yet, pick their butt in the restroom?

I find it amazing people accept this with food service.

Ridiculous. The stuff inside the bottle is clean and not touched by the customer and does not compare to reusing a fork.

What do you propose the restaurant do? Give a bottle of ketchup to each table and then discard it barely used? Do you want the plastic packets of ketchup then go eat at McDonalds. If I am paying for a slightly more upscale restaurant than fast food and have to tip the waitress as well, then I dont want plastic packets. I might as well grab fast food then.

Oh, and by the way, while at it maybe have that cashier at Walmart wear rubber gloves, you know, as they handle every single food item you purchase.
So many times I've seen cashiers wiping runny noses or coughing into their hand, obviously sick with a cold or worse, then handling every food item you place on the belt.

Just supply that cashier with disposable gloves and make them wear them while scanning all those food items.
Do away with this condiment sharing thing with most all restaurants.
Am I alone in this?
Think about it.
How discussing this practice is.
Especially next time you dine out, and take a glance at that half used, opened ketchup bottle.

Also ridiculous. Gloves on a cashier? You have an immune system for a reason.

 

[notposting]

No, you are not alone -- salt and pepper shakers are one thing. There is a dive near here and they not only have the bottles (that they refill over and over) but little Tupperware type bowls with pickles, peppers, onions, etc.

Vomit.

 

[notposting]

As for the hot sauce bottles. I keep our bottles at home nice and clean giving them a good lickin while I eat. Sometimes just swigging the stuff right out. I have to work really hard in public not to do that.

 

[NetWareHead]

No, you are not alone -- salt and pepper shakers are one thing. There is a dive near here and they not only have the bottles (that they refill over and over) but little Tupperware type bowls with pickles, peppers, onions, etc.

Vomit.

Dont ever visit a Vietnamese pho place then. They have little bowl with lids and spoon trays full of sauces and chili peppers for the soups at each table.

 

[Strk]

Well, if I actually used any of them, yeah, it would bother me. It does make me laugh though because some people sure are nasty.

When I worked at HD, we had to throw away the sugar quite a lot because people would lick the thing (yeah, not sure why they didn't just get sugar packets).

 

[qtnguyen87]

When you walk in a Restaraunt and see a sanitation score of 80, you're probably OK with it. When the News say they have a poor score of 80 you run like a little bitch and cry

 

[Ichinisan]

OP, what world do you live in? Life isn't sterile.

 

[qtnguyen87]

You're mom probably makes food the way you say restaraunt should'nt. so wtf?

 

[Zeze]

You do sound like a hypochondriac.

You need to think rationally- only way to 'cure' this ill thought:

'When was the last time I actually got sick from eating out?'

Think about this END RESULT.

I haven't gotten sick from eating out over a decade ago. And I eat out a lot- both fancy and dumpy places.

 

[notposting]

Dont ever visit a Vietnamese pho place then. They have little bowl with lids and spoon trays full of sauces and chili peppers for the soups at each table.

That stuff is probably spicy enough to kill anything near it. This is a crappy "Irish" sports bar type place.

Besides, while stuff does cross my mind, I just push it aside and eat. I've worked in food service before, so I already know ignorance is bliss...

 

[CZroe]

Does OP realize that there is almost no chance of getting sick from the checkout person unless he contracted it right then and there? Most pathogens are actually very fragile. Once the saliva, tears, etc from the infected host cool and dry, the organisms that require that environment to live will die. They don't just turn into spores that can infect later. That's why weaponization of Anthrax and such needs a way to store and transport which doesn't exist naturally.

You do sound like a hypochondriac.

You need to think rationally- only way to 'cure' this ill thought:

'When was the last time I actually got sick from eating out?'

Think about this END RESULT.

I haven't gotten sick from eating out over a decade ago. And I eat out a lot- both fancy and dumpy places.

I get instantly sick when eating out all the time but I'm pretty sure it's just IBS.

 

[notposting]

Does OP realize that there is almost no chance of getting sick from the checkout person unless he contracted it right then and there? Most pathogens are actually very fragile. Once the saliva, tears, etc from the infected host cool and dry, the organisms that require that environment to live will die. They don't just turn into spores that can infect later. That's why weaponization of Anthrax and such needs a way to store and transport which doesn't exist naturally.


I get instantly sick when eating out all the time but I'm pretty sure it's just IBS.

APPETITE RESTORED :biggrin:

 

[Tiamat]

The last restaurant I went to didn't have this problem. Then again it was a three Michelin star restaurant... I don't know what kind of restaurants you are wasting your money at... ;p

 

[boomerang]

You need to think rationally

I'm pretty sure that's outside the realm of what is possible.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Yes.

People are touching the bottle, not the contents of said bottle. They also touched the table, the seat, etc...

brb going out to breakfast.

The power of Obama will keep him safe

Seriously though people with this level of paranoia should stay inside. We don't need yet another crusade.

 

[who?]

Does OP realize that there is almost no chance of getting sick from the checkout person unless he contracted it right then and there? Most pathogens are actually very fragile.

Colds and flu are spread by viruses which are transmitted by touching the things some infected person touched like your stuff from the store.

 

[JManInPhoenix]

I always wash my hands after touching a menu.

 

[CZroe]

Colds and flu are spread by viruses which are transmitted by touching the things some infected person touched like your stuff from the store.

Duh, and that's exactly what I was thinking about when I typed it. Cold and flu viruses spread in tiny drops of saliva on hands, doorknobs, phones, airborne, etc. Those drops harbor the virus only until it dries and "dies" (becomes inert) in a matter of minutes (hours at most). It only spreads if you encounter it before that happens, which is likely around an infected person who keeps continually contaminating things. Do you really think they would survive long enough to be loaded, transported, unloaded, stored/refrigerated, unpacked, prepared, and eaten? That process usually takes days but it's unlikely even in a matter of hours. Even then, who prepares food without washing their hands and taking precautions? Everyone knows that the packaging protects and isolates the contents, so only idiots would remove something from the package and then contaminate it with the package. "Oh, I'll just unwrap this single slice of cheese and then set it on top of the package of individually wrapped cheese slices." Anyone doing that kind of thing deserves to get sick, but even then there is almost no chance that the cashier's cold/flu is still active and infectious.

 

[Eug]

You should check out some of the kitchens of restaurants. Many are just horrible. Ironically, some of the cleanest are some of the fast food chain restaurants, because they have established protocols which include cleaning all the food preparation surfaces (stainless steel), cleaning the floors, and bleaching the rags every single day. Not all fast food restaurants are good though, and there are also individual employees that spoil things. eg. Taco Bell:

That batch of taco shells wasn't actually supposed to be served to anyone, but nonetheless, these are the type of employees that can wreck everything. When I was in high school, my buddy's friend's job was cleaning the place after closing at 2 am. (How he did that and went to school, I have no idea.) What he used to do was get super baked on pot and then go clean, so I have no idea if his "cleaning" was actually effective.

It seems many family run non-chain family restaurants have problems maintaining cleanliness too. Even some higher end restaurants are problematic. However, the worst are the hole-in-the-wall restaurants. If you've ever walked through the kitchen of a crappy low end Chinatown restaurant or a low end diner somewhere, you'd know. It's disgusting.

I did go to one high end restaurant that looked like it was scrubbed down completely every single day. I guess they had to, because their room for private functions was in the back, and you had to walk through the kitchen to get there. Obviously they'd want their high-spending business customers to see that the kitchen was spotless.

Regarding the condiment bottles, you do have a point that they should be kept clean. I also can't stand when a ketchup bottle is smeared with old dried up ketchup around the opening and under the cap. Every time a waitress cleans a table, just open the ketchup bottle and wipe off the end with a paper towel. Job done. Part of a waitress's job is to clean that stuff and present the customer with clean bottles. However, I have no problem with using ketchup that a previous customer poured on to their fries and burger and then passes me the bottle.

Funny you should mention that. I used to frequent this one hole-in-the-wall diner that made its own ketchup. Each table would get its own new small bowl of ketchup when new customers sat down.

I didn't go there for the cleanliness, though, because in truth the place wasn't all that clean. However, the ketchup was totally awesome.

 

[notposting]

Most places are crap for food safety/cleanliness. I make it a point to not even watch or look in the back. It takes constant vigilance and effort to do otherwise, and with the general wages in that industry, it usually isn't going to happen.

(you get the odd ones like fast food restaurants next to rural engineering universities and they will tend to be a bit better, but still)

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Restaurants should be clean but, anyone expecting sanitary is delusional. Throughout the industry I see a trend towards wait staff doing less sidework. I believe it is a direct result of restaurants doing little training. They hire "experienced " waitstaff expecting someone else to do the training. I dismiss germaphobes like some of the posters here because nothing will ever satisfy their warped view of the world. Being a good waiter is a complicated and honorable job but, Americans do not value food service all the while complaining about how poor the service is. Most customers don't realize they have a part to play in food service. A few complain loudly about everything and return everyday. Most never say anything good or bad at the time but, tell someone later in the day, week, year. IF you want better service, tell the manager, fill out a comment card and, first (before doing anything else) ask your waiter!

 

[killster1]

went to this one place where the guy was busing tables, then hed take a towl out of his apron wipe the table, then continue to roll silverware.. hmmmm yea which was the worst offense.. Rolling the silver? keeping towl in his apron to "clean" the tables? idk but i didnt eat anything ;p best to cook ur food at home or bring your own silverware hehehe.. Dont use your hands to eat and i guess doesnt matter if the bottle is infected or not.. (i dont eat katchup anyway.. )