While it seems rather counterintuitive, a former Longhorn Steakhouse worker, who has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, shared why health-conscious people may want to stay far, far away from salads at, well, most restaurants.
TikToker Sylvia (@sylvia_t99) says she has worked 19 different restaurants, including places like Longhorn Steakhouse and Panera, in three different states. She shared her warning alongside a storytime about a customer who was angry about a lime wedge.
Sylvia says that, as she was bartending, a customer “challenged” her. The customer, Sylvia says, told Sylvia she wasn’t a good bartender because she didn’t wash her hands before putting a lime wedge in the woman’s drink. Sylvia says she refuted this, explaining to the customer that she did wash her hands.
A health professional has gone viral in the past for saying that citrus wedges, including those of lemons, limes, and oranges, are usually dirty at bars and restaurants. But instead of giving the bartender grief about this, the expert recommended just politely asking for no lemons or limes to be added to the drink.
But back to Sylvia. The service industry worker then delves into a public service announcement for all “petty germaphobes out there.”
“Boy, do I have some restaurant industry secrets that you’re not gonna like,” Sylvia starts. “Enjoy these restaurant industry secrets. If you’re not one of the petty germaphobes, and you’re a kind, humble, understanding germaphobe, then I’m very sorry for the things you’re about to hear.”
Here we go
“So, we’ll start with salads. In 17 out of the 19 restaurants that I worked in, they had us making salads with bare hands. No gloves, no tongs whatsoever,” she shares.
To make matters worse, the content creator says she and her co-workers were punished if they attempted to exercise food safety.
“If we wanted to take the initiative to make the best meal that we could and try to put on gloves when we make our salad, we are quite often, you know, yelled at or even written up,” she recalls. “Because we are wasting money by using pair … after pair of gloves because ‘we can’t afford to use gloves.’”
Sylvia says that’s even more true if the restaurant is busy.
She continues, “We are going to possibly get fired for wasting as much time as it might take to put on gloves after gloves after gloves when we need to get these salads out.”
Salad isn’t the only item to be wary of
Ok, so maybe don’t order a salad if you are worried about germs. But Sylvia also shared that steak isn’t necessarily in the clear, either.
“All of the 19 restaurants that I’ve worked in push on your steak with a bare hand to see how hard or soft it is—to see if it was cooked according to the temperature you ordered properly,” she says.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve worked at three Longhorn Steakhouses, and I worked at places that are burger places.” She adds, “Doesn’t matter how good or poor the steak places that you were visiting, they’re pushing in on your steak with their bare hands.”
The third instance
OK so “germaphobes” should avoid restaurant salads and steaks. But there’s a third instance in which servers will manhandle your food with bare hands. And that’s if your food falls off your plate in the kitchen, Sylvia says.
“If the chef puts your dish up and is ready to go, and the bun falls off the burger or if the fries kind of fall off the plate, we rearrange it with our bare hands,” the content creator claims. “We will put the bun back on the burger, put the fries back on the plate with our bare hands because we don’t have time for anything else.”
Sylvia says servers are under a lot of pressure to get food out of the kitchen quickly.
So you want a salad
OK, so what happens if you really want a salad and don’t want to make it yourself from the comfort and safety of your home? Sylvia recommends going to Panera for salad.
“Go to Panera. They’re the only place I’ve ever worked at that uses gloves and tongs every step of the way but will get in trouble if you don’t,” Sylvia says.
Sylvia’s comments are turned off or limited. Her video garnered over 143,000 views.
@sylvia_t99 little inside tea on restaurants for you germaphobes 😃 #fyp ♬ original sound – Sylvia
Do restaurants have to wear gloves when preparing food?
Restaurant workers don’t have to wear gloves when preparing food. And mandating that they do so through some sort of glove-wearing policy is up to each individual restaurant. Normally, restaurant workers only wear gloves if they have an open wound on one of their hands.
Fascinatingly enough, in 2014, California repealed a law requiring food handlers to wear gloves.
According to the FDA, over half of food-borne illnesses happen every year because of improper food handling at restaurants. But wearing gloves can actually contribute to the spread of food-borne illnesses if improperly worn.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sylvia via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment, as well as to Longhorn Steakhouse and Panera Bread via press email.
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