“I used to work at McDonald’s that means you’re not taking it out and cleaning it. That’s what you’re supposed to do at the end of the day of every shift,” a viewer wrote in response to a now-viral video.
McDonald’s employee and TikTok user @petty_mack displays the alarming hygienic state of his local operation. The video has soared well over 12.2 million views. No doubt it has dismayed some string-fries lovers, too!
Are McDonald’s trademark fries grease or disease?
In the video, we see @petty_mack pulling a mound of moldy, built-up fries out of the fry catch. The machine must have been underperforming for someone to notice and check in the first place. How long did this neglect go on? From the brick-sized batch of mycotoxins, one might say a month or more. The trap is under the fresh fries. So, no customer would be receiving the moldy fries that sit in the compartment. But there must be contact when the fresh fries are running over top into the baskets.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @petty_mack to see if they found any violations at McDonald’s other than the fries. This is not the first dissatisfied McDonald’s experience the Daily Dot has covered either. One woman had strong opinions about a Diet Coke debacle.
How are worker sanitation standards enforced at McDonald’s?
A Tulane University study on restaurant grades states, “Research shows a link between posted restaurant grades and reductions in food-borne illnesses. A study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found that New York City saw yearly salmonella infection rates drop by 5.3 percent after implementing its restaurant grading system.” It’d be pretty cluckin’ weird if you got salmonella from fries, but you get the picture. The full article can be accessed here. It’s also important to note that restaurants are not legally required in all states to post a sanitation grade on their window.
We have the Freedom of Information Act making most federal agency records accessible to the public. However, it takes requests and a personal, grandiose investment of time. They are not readily available, especially when the parent company is Daddy McDonald. Not to mention, most people probably want to assume their McDonald’s fries are provided by a large enough corporation to avoid mishaps. The FDA states, “More than 3,000 state, local and tribal agencies have primary responsibility to regulate the retail food and foodservice industries in the United States.” This means surveillance is left to a local level and varies by location.
@petty_mack At your Local McDonald’s #fyp #mcdonalds ♬ original sound – MrkeepFit
It’s fast food; who cares?
A 2016 study on the relationship between job satisfaction and performance tells us, “There is evidence that employee engagement increases productivity and overall performance [and] creates a better and more productive work environment.” How often do you see a happy McDonald’s worker? I’m not here to question the moral workings of a franchise as big as McDonald’s, but at this point, we have to wonder why any manager or employee would allow this.
People in the comments section are targeting the neglectful employees in their rants on consumer transparency. They also sing the praises of @petty_mack for taking the initiative to address an obvious health code violation.
“When I worked at McDonald’s we broke ALL of our machines down and cleaned them at the end of EVERY day.. Management didn’t even have to remind workers, it was apart of the job duty.”
“Exactly! And I’m like I’m sure no manger asked this person to do this I’m guessing they seen it and willingly did it So thank you.”
“Pretty sure they are supposed to clean EVERYTHING so this doesn’t have justification. Definitely a managing issue or employment issue. Someone isn’t doing their job.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
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