About the rise of norovirus in restauran

[stella9]

There has been a lot of discussion on these boards about the rise of norovirus from restaurants with many of our members refusing to eat outside of their homes.


Personally, I think two things have happened. One, the restaurant industry has become less selective in their staff with a huge amount of worker turnaround. This leads to a staff of people who really have no vested interest in their jobs. They perceive the job as here today and gone tomorrow with many of them not lasting more than a month.


Another reason for the rise in foodborne illness may be in the demands of the managment. Most of the restaurant chains in this country have a hard enough time finding people to work. If one or two people are out for illness, the stress on the other workers and the service, or lack thereof, to the customers is enormous. Just look at the tremendous lines at places like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Red Robin and the like. For any of those places to be short two or three people at any given time would create tremendous burden on the rest of the staff. To that end, many of the managers make incredible demands with the first one being - "You don't show up, you're fired." These restaurant chainsare very rigid in their expectations. They are not interested in hearing that someone had "a little stomach flu" and couldn't come to work when the bottom line numbers are just about all they look at.My guess if these stores were not corporate run established and instead franchised, the attitude of the manager (who would probably be the owner) would change and thekitchens would be cleaned up.


My BIL isVice President of Food Service at a large area hospital. He has volumes upon volumes of information regarding proper food handling. He has told me that in almost every instance, the bathroom of a restaurant reflects what is going on in the kitchen. If the bathroom is a mess, leave the establishment and don't let the door hit you on the way out.


At one time a restaurant was owned by a family who cared about their business. Their employees were family membersalso cared equally about the business and built a report with the customers. In a time when no one gives a hoot, the price is paid by us. I guess we have to be more vigilant about where we go and what we eat.


Stella

[worrygirl]

It should be madatory thatALL restaurants require food staff to wear gloves.

[xxsophiaxx]

bottom line is people are careless. I'm VERY selective about where I eat out.

[rubysoho120]

Wearing gloves does not ensure anything, because if their hands are
dirty, then so is the outside of the gloves, who is really careful
enough not touch the gloves? I have been there and seen that. Uh.



Im too scared to eat out. I have like maybe once a month, and we would like like once a week at least.

[christianne]

Stella, I completely agree with you on this. I have worked in many chain restaurants over the years and all but one would hassle me if I tried to call in sick. In fact, once I was extremely ill with strep throat and tried to call in for my weekend dinner shift and the immediate response was "No, you can't call in". Strep throat is really contagious too. I felt so poorly that I responded with, "Okay, than I'm quitting"! And I did. The only one that wouldn't get p*ssed if you called in was Applebee's, and they always told us "If you are sick, we do not want you here. Period."

Of course there may be some employees who don't tell anyone they're ill so they don't get sent home. The places I worked at didn't offer sick pay, so maybe they cannot afford to call in or something. Still, management needs to do something about that. It's not right that people feel they have to work while sick or suffer the consequences.

But The Olive Garden has lost alot of business and sales are down, so I'm sure other places see that and realize it's time to change some things. Hopefully this is the wake up call for the corporate restaurant industry! Still, I eat out all the time. In fact I ate at Olive Garden the other day and at Taco Bell a few weeks after their E.Coli outbreak. I didn't even give it a second thought!

Edited by: christianne

[silver]

I don't let this keep me from enjoying eating out at restaurants...yes, the thought is in the back of my head and I of all people shouldn't eat at restaurants after all of the stuff that I have seen over the years working at them! Yes, people are lazy just as in any business setting. There are always going to be the people that don't care...there are also many people that DO care and take proper precautions when preparing food. Please don't let the news crap keep you from eating out and enjoying new foods!!

[Girlygirl1980s]

I've seen restaurant workers wear gloves, but then touch everything else in the building and then go back to the food! I thought the point of gloves was to use them while preparing food, then take them off when you do other chores and put on a clean pair when you touch food again. I also was once at a new dentist's office for an appointment. The dentist walked around with the same pair of gloves on, examining patients, and never changed the gloves![img]smileys/smilies_07.gif[/img]

[donna1216]

My husband has worked in restaurants for many, many years and I have worked in a few as well. You are not allowed to call in, or you are fired!!! Unless you find a replacement, which with lazy, partying restaurant workers is impossible, unless someone is broke and needs to make money, which is just next to impossible. My husband has been v'ing AT WORK while bartending and has had to stay until close!! Had to make drinks, get people's food, etc. while periodically heading to the employee toilet to v*.

[xxsophiaxx]

wow, that's terrible. I can't believe restaurants treat people that way.

[Galadriel]

Geez Donna thats pretty awful. I feel really bad for those who are told they must work (even when sick like that) or they get fired. Especially in the FOOD service, where things like that can spread. Its just plain stupid to force employees to work like that when sick.

[melissarene]

i haven't spent any less time than normal at restaurants lately, but i certainly think about WHAT i'm eating there. Now, I won't touch the things I normally have loved in the past -- anything cold, such as salads. I alsomake sure that when I get my food it is HOT. Other than that, I barely think about it....


I used to work in a chain restaurant myself, so I know how things can be when you call in. I've never experienced the "Come in or you'll be fired" bit, but I do know they have little sympathy for someone who is sick.


It's not just the restaurant business. It's with nursing homes and such, too. With budgets sucking, we were down to the bare minimum at the one I worked at (in fact, several nursing homes that were owned by the company I worked for had done layoffs, thank goodness mine didn't!). So, when you needed to call in sick, you almost couldn't. When the norwalk virus swept through the place, some of our caregivers got it...And because no one else could take care of these people, they had to STAY at work. While having d* and v*. I lied and called into work during all of this to avoid the virus. It worked. I was not getting it and then not having the option to go home. No way.

[sage]

poor wages, no paid sick leave, more casual/part-time workers ...all these things contribute to sick people spreading illnesses in restaurants. Gloves don't help anything - if people with dirty hands touch countertops & leave germs, then putting gloves on and touching the counter still spreads the germs to others. Gloves remind the workers themselves not to put their hands in their mouths - so they're less likely to catch a sickness, I guess, but it sure doesn't help us.


I eat out very little, and only in specific restaurants where I know they have high standards in their kitchens - protocols, foodsafe, etc. And I'm not even phobic anymore! It's getting bad, though, and I think that governments are going to have to step in and close down some businesses or force higher wages or paid leave...something....to stop the craziness.

[stella9]

Sage,


Thanks for the insight from someone who is no longer phobic. The lack of proper food handlingin restaurants is real and not overexaggerated by phobics or the media.


I own a corporate investigation agency. We arelicensed private investigators. We conduct several hundred background searches a day. Most of our clients are banks and other "white collar" establishments. If an applicant has a blemish, such as a criminal conviction, serious driving violation or questionable credit, the majority of our our clients will not hire or place the personin a job. Most of these rejected applicants go right to the chain restaurants where they are hired on the spot. My company stopped marketing restaurants nine years ago. Why? They don't do background searches. They didn't do them then and they don't do them now. The people who are cooking and handling the food in the kitchens of the chain restaurants are often, not always,drug traffickers, drug addicts/users, violent people. They don't give a rat's a** about how they handle the food. Most of them aren't employedmore than aweek or two so there is no vested to do a decent job.


Our company hasdone enough undercover work in restaurants for workers' comp fraud to see what actually goes on in these places. Its so bad that ouremployees, who are NOT emets, refuse to eat at restaurants. No one goes out to lunch. Everyone, and I mean everyone, brings their lunch to work.


This is why places like Olive Garden and Taco Bellhave the problems that they have encountered. Because there are not stringent laws set into place for cleanliness practices, my guess is that these incidents are going to increase. As for the government stepping in, I agree that they should. The problem is at what level do they need to do so in order to keep the public safe from these illnesses? Every state has a Health Department that allegedly does routine spot checks at restaurants. Most of the checks are done every few years, or so, orwhen an establishment has been reported enough times for rats in the kitchen, an outbreak of norovirus/e-colior something so outrageous that the Health Department has no choice but to show up.In the meanwhile, most places are just downright filthy.


Last spring, we wereat a Bahama Breeze restaurant. My son and husband went to the men's room where they witnessedone of the cooks come into the bathroom to v**. He was wearing his gloves, v** and left without washing his hands.He went right back to cooking the food in the open area where the food preparation takes place. We were so out of there.Before we left, Isasheyed right up the manager and told him what happened.Very nonchalantly he said he knew that"Raoul has been sick for a few days." Since then we've been back there .... Uh.... zero times. Pretty scary.


Stella

[worrygirl]

That is disgusting! Disappointing too cuz I love eating out.

[madisonsmom]

Glad to "see" you Stella...my fellow Marylander!!

[stella9]

Hi madisonsmom!!!!


How are things going in your neck of the wood? You are on the Eastern Shore, correct? Which side of "the bridge" are you?


I am in northern Baltimore County.


Stella

[sage]

hey stella - pretty crazy stuff. I do believe that Canada has much stricter laws than the US, and I'm not sure about the UK, but probably they do too. At our church the health inspector comes several times a year (unannounced) and takes swabs for bacteria, etc. as well as tests the temp of the fridge, freezer, and dishwasher. We don't even prepare meals there more than once a week sometimes. It makes me feel a little better.