Open Letter to ALL Restaurants

When I was a young girl I worked in restaurants and don't remember ever being told during training that NO food should be placed in something that had fallen on the floor.  It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that dishes should be rewashed and paper products should be discarded if they land on the floor.

I'm wondering if waitresses today are taught this during their training.

I frequent fast food restaurants and regular restaurants and occasionally observe items fall to the floor and then the waitress will retrieve them and attempt to use them.  Not if I'm watching!!

The other day I was at Burger King waiting for my order and one of the waitresses was preparing a take-out order.  The bag she was about to use fell on the floor and she quickly picked it up and began to put the order in it.  I quickly stopped her (politely)  and told her she could not put food in a bag that had been on the floor.  She looked stunned, as though the thought was completely new to her.  She did comply but it got me wondering about the initial training of restaurant staff.

A few years ago I was in a Sonny's in Florida and witnessed a waitress drop a load of straws on the floor, pick them up, and put them in a storage jar.  I spoke up (politely) and told her she couldn't give customers straws that had been on the floor.  She too looked stunned but complied and threw the lot in the garbage.

The very worst thing I ever saw was at a Wendy's where I stood at the counter waiting for my order to be filled.  I watched a lady working at the drive-through...she appeared to be the manager (older and dressed slightly different).  To my horror, she left the window to make up an order and, without gloves and after handling money, made a cheeseburger using her bare hands to handle the bun, meat, and filling.  This time I asked for a phone number so I could call the head office.  No-one could give me one but, of course, there was a number on the bill to my own order.  I called the head office and explained what I had seen happen and they were very polite and guaranteed the matter would be looked into.  Maybe it was but maybe it wasn't.  In any case, I did what I thought necessary to keep our food handling services up to par.  Everyone should take a moment and speak up when they see unhealthy practices in restaurants.

Now for my very adamant suggestion to restaurant managers and owners...stress during training that nothing that falls to the floor should ever be given to a customer.  Make up signs to be placed in the kitchen as a constant reminder, too.  Your customers deserve cleanliness.

I'm ranting on my blog but the next time I see a similar infraction, I'll write letters to the editors of local newspapers and to the Board of Health.  I will also call the head office and ask for an e-mail to be sent  to me stating what measures were taken to re-educate their staff.  What kind of response I receive will be noted in the letter to the editor.

If this saves even one person from getting sick it will be worth it.