Sick People in a resturant

[nightowl720]

I work in a very clean resturant, the type that would impress a Board of Health inspectors, however, over the winter, the Managers, cooks, servers have come to work with a stomach virus, colds, fevers. It is just impossible not to touch the food or dishes and I think they need to stay home. Unfortuantly, our place of work really gives you a hard time about calling in sick. Maybe it is because they need the money....who knows but it happens all the time. Right now people have bad colds, and yesterday the head cook had the sv.

Makes you wonder about other places who are not up to code.

[centipede]

You pointed out my biggest fear of eating out - sick restaurant staff preparing or serving food.

[laylamommy]

That's my worst fear too...

[gumdropper1]

In some states, food employers are required to keep track of employees with diarrhea or vomiting and keep them from working. Here is the log they are required to maintain: http://www.cdhd.org/pdfs/eh/EmployeeIllnessLog1.pdf

Doug

[maddyblythechen]

Oh, that's horrid! I can't emphasize how disgusted and furious I would be to learn such was going on in a restaurant at which I was eating!

~Madeleine

[grgygrl]

[img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] Im never eating out again. [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]

[laylamommy]

If I were you I would call the health department next time something like that happens. [img]smileys/smilies_15.gif[/img]

[grgygrl]

Just think how many people he/she could infect? Then those people bring it in their house or workplace and it goes on and on and on........... [img]smileys/smilies_07.gif[/img]

[stella9]

Now that you know this you have an obligation to report this to your area Health Department. Your staff could make a customer, who has a compromised immune system, either very ill or cause death.

This is outrageous.

Stella

[hanarky]

dear god...save us all thank the lord I never eat out....except subway ...but i
never thoughto f examining or asking how the clerks feels at the time..
maybe we should ask..and interrogate.. and I am not being scarcastic!

[keepholdingon11]

ugh, exactly why i don't like eating out! It seems like workers should care about that kind of thing...but apparently not.

[leia]

It is so horrible!!! I think that a restaurant should be closed down if they let workers come in sick like that. It's just not safe. I would have called the health dept. I know it's not that easy though since this is your source of income. It's just absolutely terrifying though.

[stella9]

Leia,

You are right it is horrible. Sadly, it happens more than we care to know.

We were eating at a Bama Breeze, with the kids, one night. My husband and son went to use the Mens' Room. One of the cooks was in there v*** pretty violently. My son, an emet like me, noticed that the guy went from the Mens' Room (not having washed his hands) and began preparing food in the open area where several cooks were.

After my son reported this to me, I went over to the manager and told him what my son and husband witnessed. He said he knew that the guy complained of not feeling well, but he did not know he had been v***. I aksed him if he was going to check it out and he said he would. We waited at our table for about five minutes and watched the Manager continue to schmooze with the waitresses. He could have cared less.

By the way, we walked out and I dared him to charge us for the drinks and appetizers.

Stella

[grgygrl]

Leia,

You are right it is horrible. Sadly, it happens more than we care to know.

We were eating at a Bama Breeze, with the kids, one night. My husband and son went to use the Mens' Room. One of the cooks was in there v*** pretty violently. My son, an emet like me, noticed that the guy went from the Mens' Room (not having washed his hands) and began preparing food in the open area where several cooks were.

[img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img] [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img] [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]

After my son reported this to me, I went over to the manager and told him what my son and husband witnessed. He said he knew that the guy complained of not feeling well, but he did not know he had been v***. I aksed him if he was going to check it out and he said he would. We waited at our table for about five minutes and watched the Manager continue to schmooze with the waitresses. He could have cared less.

By the way, we walked out and I dared him to charge us for the drinks and appetizers.

Stella

[grgygrl]

Ew. [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]

[keepholdingon11]

that is horrible! [img]smileys/smilies_03.gif[/img]

[nightowl720]

Yes, I agree this is a crime! The managers are more interested in covering the shift then they are about public safety. I did call the health dept and it would take them 3-5 days for them to come and "inspect". By then the offender isn't sick anymore. If it were food poisnoning that would get instant attention.

Really makes me disgusted and afraid from what I know.

[marieb73]

Unfortuantly, our place of work really gives you a hard time about calling in sick.

This. ^

Most restaurants are understaffed so 1 call in can seriously impact how smoothly business runs. And it's done to keep the operating costs down because running a restaurant is expensive.

That said it still makes me angry. Why would any owner of a restaurant not insist sick employees keep their bugs at home???

[kendall]

Just think how many people he/she could infect?
Then those people bring it in their house or workplace and it goes on
and on and on........... [img]smileys/smilies_07.gif[/img]

your so rigth i think scientists
top priority is to find a cure for that (and maybe cancer) lol

[taylor08]

You pointed out my biggest fear of eating out - sick restaurant staff preparing or serving food.

That's mine too.

[sage]

Well...while I agree that it's best to stay home if you're sick, in reality there are ways to work with food and not transmit the virus. The main thing is to ensure you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after using the washroom. It would only be if fecal matter from your hands (previously on your bum) got into the food that it would be dangerous to the public. You can't pass noroviruses on by breathing while standing next to food. Of course, if the employee vomits at work (in the washroom) it would be important to wash thoroughly afterward so none of it gets anywhere near the food. But that's not hard to do either.

It's lack of proper hand-washing,that spreads noroviruses, not the actual being sick at work. That's the most disgusting thing, imo...workers that don't wash or wash properly. Yetch!

[laneyb]

That is just so wrong WRONG WRONG!

[wackydeli]

I once worked at a deli that was a nightmare. If you were sick there wasn't a possibility of calling out--there was no one to cover. Ever. The kitchen was a mess and my boss would keep salads and deli meats in the deli case to sell long past their prime, and keep expired products on the shelves.

The only thing I'd ever eat there was the bread, since I knew THAT was delivered fresh every morning.