I should have known better ...

It was late afternoon, New Years Eve 2015, just before closing time.

My son and I were in a hurry; and so were the two people with wrap-around aprons working frantically behind the counter at a popular franchise deli that were taking directions on what bread, condiments, meat(s) and raw veggies customers wanted for their sandwiches.

Through the protective glass counter, the ready-to-eat-not-shelve-stable sliced turkey and beef looked appetizing. So did the selection of cheeses, including the fresh/pre-sliced tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and red-onion’s.

What always plays in the back of my mind at such serving-counter chain outlets, is the safety/integrity of the raw vegetables and the holding temperatures and wholesomeness of the sliced meats: as well as the sanitation condition of the deli-cases/hand-utensils and certainly the personal hygiene practices of the food-preparers.

• How well (and effective) is the food-preparers safety trained and educated?
• What’s the employee turnover rate?
• How effective is their cold-chain management continuum involving perishables??
• How often do the food-preparers clean their hands? Are their acts of hand washing effective?
• What’s the frequency of cleaning/sanitizing direct product contact areas?
• What’s the frequency and type of product testing of the raw products that are performed by the raw food suppliers?

During the latter months of 2015, I’ve become wary, like everyone else, of the multiple-state food safety horrors that another counter-serving company, Chipotle’s, has been experiencing. Who hasn’t?

I’ve always stressed to raw and fully cooked clients to become extra super vigilant with their employees regarding personal hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, and quality control procedures especially before, on, or after holidays, 3-day weekends and the like. Such workdays have shown to have higher incidents of people calling in sick, but more importantly: workers having a knack of rushing whatever they’re doing to get their shift over; thus food safety and quality suffers.

The first red flare in the air was when my random food-preparer, who appeared behind a blind corner, took our bread order while chewing gum and blowing small bubbles with an annoying smacking noise between each chew.

I was floored…

My auditing instincts kicked right in. I was shocked, angry and appalled: all rolled into one.

The second flare was his exposed facial hair, minus a protective face and hairnet.

Disgusting.

Disgusting too were the bread/spread knives and scoops (used for tuna) collectively sharing and soaking in the same room-ambient water container, that by now was opaque in color from my vantage point.

When I witnessed my preparer momentarily excusing himself and started handling money of a customer with his disposable plastic gloves still on, I had already determined that there was NO way I was going to purchase what we were ordering. But I had to see if this trained “food-handler” (as advertised on the wall) was actually going to handle money and continue to build sandwiches without washing his hands and changing his gloves.

He performed the unthinkable.

I made a scene and in doing so embarrassed my son. I had seen more than enough.

I asked to see the person-in-charge, but the “bosses” had long been gone. I informed my server what he was doing wrong and said that I did not want my partially completed sandwiches and that I would report my experience to his superior, including the regional county health department.

After all of the prior preparation, product-testing, time and money spent back up-stream involving the multiple foods that make up a deli sandwich - all can be ruined by the actions of a single food-preparer knucklehead at the tail end of the food chain continuum.

Especially during the holidays: just before closing time.

I should have known better…

1/8/2016 Meatingplace.com