What I Learned from Working in a Restaurant

If I knew what went on in the kitchens of restaurants, I would probably not eat there. Everyone hears things through the grape vine about how some restaurants have rats in their kitchen or that some employees do not even use gloves. I did not believe any of this and pushed this to the back of my mind and went right along and ate at any restaurant. I had to work in one first to find out what really happens behind kitchen doors.

First of all, I will not disclose the name where I worked and keep it anonymous for reputation reasons. I was hired as a pseudo-chef, putting salads and rice bowls together along with the occasional sandwich. The environment looked clean and everything ran smoothly, or so it seemed. Over the course of several months, I began to take note of some things that struck me. If a knife or cooking utensil was knocked to the floor, I would take it to the back and wash it. Other employees would pick it up right up, there is a 5 second rule that was taught to all of us in middle school, anyway.

The floor was disgusting. There were no morals inculcated into this restaurant. You could just brush of tomatoes and old chicken on to the floor. I tried to keep it neat, just as I would my own home, but I soon got caught up in the rift and began to act like everyone else. Because it was easier that way.

Another point that appalled me. Not only could the customers get salmonella, but it was a sharp deviation from common sense. The employees were instructed to cook raw chicken on the same grill as the already-cooked steak. And I can assure you, that every time a new slab of steak was set on the grill, the grill was not previously brushed. This translated to raw chicken in your fully cooked steak.

For a soup to be bacteria free, it must cook to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Our soups at this restaurant were not cooked to this temperature every day. Maybe on some days, when the district manager had dropped in for a visit, but otherwise, it was cooked for three minutes in a microwave. Who knows how many people have walked out of this restaurant and when they have gotten home, they realize they are sick?

The months that I worked at this establishment, I have witnessed rotten romaine, soggy carrots, and broccoli with white mold, all of which were nuked in the microwave and then plopped over rice. Some customers did complain, and I did not blame them. If I did not work there and could not make my own food, I would not eat there either.

I have seen raw chicken be served. By raw, I mean pink and soft inside. Some noticed, others did not. Generally, those who ordered To-Go did not complain because the either did not see it or when they saw it, it was already too late and they were already home. I have seen tofu be cut into perfect little cubes with the same knife that was used just a second ago to butterfly open a raw chicken breast.

Yes, most restaurants are disgusting. Not once did a health inspector come in and check the establishment. Internal restaurant quality in the United States is probably just as bad as in a Third-World country. Pick carefully where you eat.