Do not eat at applebee's !

[rlemmon]

Hi guys. I just wanted to post about my experience cooking at applebnees' and there horrid lack of  concern for sanitation and health hazards. Let me start off by saying that i have worked in many restaurants over the years  I Took a part time job there and started work two days ago as a  cook. I have never seen a place that completely disregards health and safety standards like they do.

They have a "trainer" for each area who trains all of the employees for each area. One of the first things he told me was to forget about a brake, that only management gets a 30 minute brake.( keep in mid were talking 8 or 9 hour days) If you were a smoker you might get a five minute brake at some point.  When i was being trained my trainer (we'll call him mike) dropped some food on the floor and picked it back up and threw it back in the fryer for a few seconds then put it on the costumers platter.

I said is that what were supposed to do if something is dropped? He told me yes that this is what the managers want us to do with any food items that are drooped. I told him it was disgusting and he said there policy is that the grease from the fryer (or heat from the grill, or microwave) will kill the germs. The only time when not to do it is if theres a inspector on site.  Anyone with half a brain knows this is untrue and why people get sick.

I was also told that if a utensil, bowl, lid or plate gets dropped to go ahead and use it that the main concern is the costumers wait time.  I also was trained to mix all the wings and seafood products in the same dressing bowls which can make a person with a seafood alergy sick if not kill them

I continued working through the day and saw countless items (including food) being dropped and used.  At the end of the night when it came time to teardown the fryers and grill the parts were thrown on the floor over a drain and just hosed off with warm water. No dishwasher, no sanitizer or soap, no scrubbing or sink. It was all done right there in the mop drain (which was over flowed with slop) on the floor which means what ever is on the floor is being cycled back in to the fryers.  They didn't even use any kind of soap or product on the grills just water again. 

Half of the cooks were just reaching into food containers  grabbing hand fulls of lettuce or what ever it was at the time, with no gloves. (or hand washing)
 
They also didn't keep there food prep counters clean, they would just use the same bucket of water and sanitizer for the full shift with god only knows what floating in it. All of the make lines(were food is prepared right before being plated) and prep counters were filthy. I even watched one guy cut his fingers while cutting rib portions and just rinse the knife off with water and went back to cutting ribs.

I left that night amazed and horrified at all the things i had seen there.  I went back for my next shift to see if maybe it was just he people who were working that shift. It wasn't the place was just as bad.  I asked the guy training me how long i had to memorize the menu and he said three days. At that point i was planning to talk to  a manager who was off duty when i saw him since he seemed to be reasonable. After seeing chris drop the lid to the salad mixing bowl and throw it back on and continue mixing someones order I told him i didn't know if i would continue to work there with that and the other issues. He asked my to hold on a sec then came back and said the manager said If i didn't want to be there 100% to just leave.. I went to my car and got there company shirts and took them in and started to tell her three days isn't really enough time to memorize the menu.  I said I'm not sure if i can have it all 100% and she said well you can just go homeright now if you don't want to be here. I wanted to tell her what i thought of the food safety issues but she just wanted me to leave.

At that point i was thoroughly disgusted and wanted to stuff a hand full of dropped food in the womans face and tell here  what i thought of her and there health policy. but I just said screw it and left. I knew i could have threw a fit but it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. And i sure as hell wasn't going to be responsible for someone getting sick or even dying.

I guess my point is that if you value you health don't eat at applebees's

[saint]

You should call the health department. I once quit working at an Arby's for not as bad but still unsanitary conditions...

[ChadTower]

I also was trained to mix all the wings and seafood products in the same dressing bowls which can make a person with a seafood alergy sick if not kill them

He's not kidding.  I have a bad seafood allergy and have to watch out for this.  Even at the cafeteria where I work they will fry shrimp in the same pan as chicken.  If I ate that chicken I'd end up in the ER.  I commented on that to the manager and rather than address the concern he told me I just shouldn't order the chicken.

I worked at a couple of Chinese places that were almost that bad.  Prep standards yes but at least the equipment was usually clean.

[Tai95]

You have worked in other kitchens and you were surprised about what you saw? 

[Ed_McCarron]

Yeah, I was gonna say sounds like a normal kitchen...

[DaOld Man]

You guys are making me think twice about eating out now.
But you know, you never know what you are eating when you eat out.
I try not to think about it, but if there is a kid in the back ticked off at his manager or someone, he could easily spit in the food, or worse.
Think Beavis and Butthead.

But back to the Op, I agree with saint, report the ---daisies---.

[RayB]

I wouldn't go and blame the entire chain though. I know they say that proper leadership and standards comes from above, but it's also really dependant on each tier of the management chain upholding the standards too. If the district manager of your area doesn't give a crap, then the individual restaurant managers won't give a crap.  Or if you live in an area that doesn't have strong health inspection bi-laws and enforcement, then again, that enable management to slack on upholding high standards.

But, guess what? I wont eat there. LOL

Blow the whistle on em!!!

[Ken Layton]

I'd call the local tv news consumer reporter. They love to do undercover hidden camera stuff like this.

[SirPeale]

You should watch Gordon Ramsey's "Kitchen Nightmares".  Lots of restaurants do that "hot oil disinfects" thing.  It got Gordon really pissed off.  His kitchens are freaking immaculate.  If you ever want to eat at a place where you know the kitchen is clean, eat at one of his restaurants.

[drventure]

Why would anyone eat at Applebees anyway?

But regardless, that experience sounds like a nightmare. I guess I should count myself lucky. I never had the opportunity to work foodservice

My brother did though, and some of his stories sounded eerily familiar to this...

[protokatie]

This makes me glad that I hardly ever eat out.
The place I work at has an "open grill" where the kitchen is fully visible to the patrons, so we have a VERY strict rule about clean-running. If any food hits the floor it goes in the trash right away, and hands are cleaned right afterwards. The way the grill is cleaned every night, you can see your reflection in it (a little blurry as there are nicks in the metal and a layer of oil put on top after cleaning to prevent rusting). We get compliments daily during our c-store hours (after we have closed and cleaned the grill/kitchen area) about how they have never seen such a clean grill before. Maybe I should post some pics of my work place's kitchen so you guys can see that not ALL eateries are bad like this...

EDIT: Ken suggested one way of drawing attention to this, another way would be to send a letter to applebees.com (or whatever the corps site is) and tell them this. They would most likely have someone come in and investigate. Even if the corperation doesn't really care about how clean it is, they WILL care about something like this causing an incident that will make them lose money AND PR!

[severdhed]

i sure hope this isnt my applebees...are you in Pennsylvania?

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, I was gonna say sounds like a normal kitchen...

Are you shitting me? No kitchen should ever be run like this, period. I used to work in numerous restaurants and I've flat out fired people for less than what he describes. I used to walk into the back and force the employees to drain the sinks if the tub water wasn't the proper clarity and color.

I'll echo Saint's sentiment. Report the restaurant. They have no business doing that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. If the state is broke (California) call up your local news station, they'll gobble that up.

You can get away with that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- in Waiting, don't bother trying to bull stupid stunts like that in the real world.

[Ummon]

Way ahead o ya; never eat there anyways; blech.  BUT, you shouldna let anything on!...and then called the news and health department in that order. Why? Cos they probly can't bribe the news.

I worked at McD's, Hard-on's, and Pizza sl....Hut in my late teens and all were pretty damn clean, with Mickey's being, like, Military spec clean. They even got on ya for your hair touching your collar, or if your shirt had wrinkles - which weren't no pull-over deals like at corporate stores, but mainentance staff, button-up thingies.

(Guys by default worked in the grill, sometimes drive-thru; girls never worked in grill; yeah, some of this was gender roles of the time as seen through the franchise owner's eyes.)

[pinballwizard79]

Food service has gone to ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, everywhere.

Unless you go to a restaurant where the owner works in the trenches its bound to disappoint.

The only places I trust are certain fast food/sandwich joints with open kitchens

[rlemmon]

I am going to report them to the health dept. I really doubt anything will come of it though. At the last place i worked they would always call before they came and they would have the place looking good and make everyone do stuff by the book while the inspector was there.

i sure hope this isn't my applebees...are you in Pennsylvania?

It is in N.W. pa. My understanding from what they said is that all or most of the applebee's in pa are owned by one guy and ran somewhat separately from the rest of the chain.

[SavannahLion]

I am going to report them to the health dept. I really doubt anything will come of it though. At the last place i worked they would always call before they came and they would have the place looking good and make everyone do stuff by the book while the inspector was there.

Yeah, that happened quite a bit at one fast food joint I worked at in high school. HQ was smart though, even though we got state inspections, corporate would instigate their own inspections about three times a year. Corporate would never let us know if they were coming.

Except my boss and I sure as hell wasn't going to leave anything to chance. Some of our past employees worked at the hotels in the area. We would give these ex employees an incentive to let us know whenever an inspector (either state or otherwise) would make reservations. Then my boss and I would be absolutely certain we were scheduled to work when the inspector was due to arrive. The night the inspector arrived, we got our phone call and we made sure we stuck around. I was usually happy as a clam since that meant overtime and hardly any work (not that the corporate inspector was a hot chick had anything to do with it). I was just there to make sure no one ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up.

I worked at McD's, Hard-on's, and Pizza sl....Hut in my late teens and all were pretty damn clean, with Mickey's being, like, Military spec clean.

Wasn't it a MickeyD's place that was caught selling MJ in their happy meals?

I'm not sure if that's as bad as the Burger King idiot taking a bath in the sink.

[Ummon]

Wasn't it a MickeyD's place that was caught selling MJ in their happy meals?

I dunno. I've never really kept up with the news and stuff. Anyone can deal from anywhere. I picked up all kinds of stuff all kinds of places back in high school.


Segue:

It was interesting being a part of that culture at the time. When I was 13 (summer '84) we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Maybe I just wasn't clued in yet, but everything seemed just vacation-ish, right? Curious note: almost strictly caucasian folk when we went.

Two-some years later, we went again, and there were all these black males, and some females, wearing fancy and strange clothes, driving convertible mustangs but just cruising round, and in the park seemingly passing stuff to each other right in front of everyone - and folks either didn't see it, or were too afraid to do anything about it. I mentioned it to my parents, and they were a little oblivious but also curious how I knew this stuff. I was all, don't you see how they're movin? (It's just like when you've, either, dipped for a time or hung out with dippers - you just know when you see someone, however much they got it hidden, they got a dip their mouf.)

I went again in '91 and by this time they had the detectors up, and in some cases would frisk you.

[Ed_McCarron]

Yeah, I was gonna say sounds like a normal kitchen...

Are you shitting me? No kitchen should ever be run like this, period. I used to work in numerous restaurants and I've flat out fired people for less than what he describes. I used to walk into the back and force the employees to drain the sinks if the tub water wasn't the proper clarity and color.

I used to run computer cabling.  We'd rewire restaurants POS systems after hours.  I've seen lots.

Before that, I worked in numerous restaurants while in college.  Mice in the walk in - SOP.  Frozen food bags dipped in the fryer to melt the plastic so you didn't have to find a knife to open them - check.

My fave?  While working as a shift kitchen manager at a restaurant that had a buffet - someone broke one of the fluorescent tubes over the buffet.   (Right - no bulb guard) and there were glass shards in the 5 lbs of freshly cooked shrimp that was just placed.  The store mgr wanted me to pick thru the shrimp to clean out the glass.  I drew the line on that one.  Tossed it all out and got yelled at for doing so.

Oh, and the time someone took a bunch of carrot peelings and slop from the bottom of the sink, rinsed it off, put it in a pebble bowl, added some french dressing for color and put it out on the buffet.

You'd be amazed what people will eat.

[Level42]

My fave?  While working as a shift kitchen manager at a restaurant that had a buffet - someone broke one of the fluorescent tubes over the buffet.   (Right - no bulb guard) and there were glass shards in the 5 lbs of freshly cooked shrimp that was just placed.  The store mgr wanted me to pick thru the shrimp to clean out the glass.  I drew the line on that one.  Tossed it all out and got yelled at for doing so.

Good thing, as fluorescent tubes contain mercury and I guess I don't have to explain how poisonous that is...

The only job at a restaurant I ever had (we call it a "holiday job", in summer time) was when I was about 16. Was at a Burger King in the city of Rotterdam. Rules were strict about hygiene. Things dropped on the floor did have to go in special crates where they counted for the loss, so they were sure you weren't secretly stealing Whoppers ! But still, absolutely forbidden to get it back in the "chain".

At one time I was working at the broiler (the open fire grill that BK is known for). We used a putty knife to get the slices of meat from eachother because they are kept frozen right until they go on the broiler and thus they tend to stick together.
Suddenly I noticed some of the slices had very weird red spots, much more red than the slides usually are. Turned out I had cut my finger but hadn't noticed because of the freezing cold stuff that they are until they go on the broiler.
I called the manager and it was like all panic and hell broke loose. They ditched the entire boxes of hamurgers and whoppers and carefully cleaned the broiler (it has a transport chain that moves the meat over the flames).

So, although I hated the work there, I think they had a pretty good quality at these things.

[ChadTower]

I cut my finger badly working night shift at Subway in high school.  Knife was so sharp I didn't even feel it.  Ironically this guy ordered 3 roast beef subs.  During the whole process we're both like "damn that's some bloody roast beef" until it was on the outside of the paper and on the bag.  That's when we noticed my finger was pouring blood.  I couldn't get it to stop and had to call the owner as I was the only employee in the place. 

Needless to say the guy left without the sandwiches.

[smalltownguy]

I did the same thing. Those bread knives were SERIOUSLY sharp. Back in the days of the U-gouge, I put the blade right in the thumb pad of my right hand. Hurt like HELL for a month.

Ok maybe a week. 

[mpm32]

I once worked in a bakery.  It was mostly clean but - they kept the 100 lb bags of sugar and flour stacked on the floor on a pallet by the door.  Part of my job was to take the 100 lb bags and fill the big rolling bins.

So I go and grab a bag, between the bags was a layer of roaches.  When the bag moves, they run to the next layer down.

So one day I dumped a bag into the bin and the roaches had gotten into the bag of sugar.  Now they were in the main bin.  I told the manager who told the owner.  He called me upstairs to his office - which was scary for a young kid.  In my mind, Italian bakery = mob owned.  lol

He said to me, "you know those big sifters that hang on the wall?" 
"Grab one and an empty bin and sift the bugs out."  WTF?

That was my last week there.

[ChadTower]

Heh.  Before Subway I worked at an independent bakery/donut shop.  11pm-4am assistant baker.  The guy I was assisting thought he was a vampire.  Literally.  He had had his teeth done, wore a cloak, and drove a monstrous old Cadillac he had painted flat black.  It said "HATE MACHINE" in white above the front grill backwards like an ambulance. 

I wish I could say that was unique but this was in Salem, MA, and it was only more out of the closet than usual. 

[SavannahLion]

Heh.  Before Subway I worked at an independent bakery/donut shop.  11pm-4am assistant baker.  The guy I was assisting thought he was a vampire.  Literally.  He had had his teeth done, wore a cloak, and drove a monstrous old Cadillac he had painted flat black.  It said "HATE MACHINE" in white above the front grill backwards like an ambulance. 

I wish I could say that was unique but this was in Salem, MA, and it was only more out of the closet than usual. 

That would explain this one job. I worked at a mid-mountain cafeteria as a busboy and gopher. There we made pizzas, the kind where they used cheap----steaming pile of meadow muffin--- ingredients but tried hard to be a high class place. In any case, we didn't have garlic. None. Zip. Zero. Being Italian I thought this was strange since every other place owned by the owner used garlic. Turns out the "cook" wouldn't be around garlic, wouldn't eat it, wouldn't even look at the plant. He absolutely refused to explain why, but everyone else there cited the same reason. It was against his religion. 

So to test my theory, I brought a huge bag of garlic and made the biggest damn pizza loaded with garlic. Stunk up the whole place.

I got called in about a week later and got a "stern" talking to by the chain boss and was told never to bring garlic again... ever. I had to respect another persons religion. As he pulled out the dreaded disciplinary sheet, I asked him what religion could it possibly be that absolutely forbade garlic, he clammed up, set the sheet aside, and kicked me out of his office. 

[SirPeale]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4922/kitchen-nightmares-dillons#s-p5-so-i0

[ChadTower]

 

Wonder how good a cook that dude must have been to forbid a primary ingredient in the product.

[ChadTower]

Anyway, it heartens me to see so many of us have worked food service.  It's a ritual I think most people ought to be forced to undertake....

Heh, it's amazing how valuable an experience a service job like that turns out to be later on.  I have family members that swear up and down plastic cling wrap is the most difficult thing in the world to use.  I could make art out of it with my eyes closed.   

[shardian]

Never worked food service. Thank goodness!

I did work produce section at Krogers.

[ChadTower]

I liked it as a teenager.  Lots of hours and shifts to be picked up, free food, and I usually worked with good looking girls.  What else is there when you're 16?

[dafelandry]

Ah the classic "10 second rule" seen that WAY to many times.... Glad I am in the broadcasting buisness now and not the food industry....

I liked it as a teenager.  Lots of hours and shifts to be picked up, free food, and I usually worked with good looking girls.  What else is there when you're 16?

Although working in a bar (kitchen) while being 17 kicked ass (a teenager with facial hair who passed for 19.. legal age here in Regina,Sk, Canada) and i will never forget the after work bender and hooking up with a 27 year old waitress ahhhh good old fashion turning a boy into a man.....

this is way to common and to hear an applebees manager saying that it "disenfects" thats bull...ogna.... as if apple bees cant afford a fresh order of fries or chicken strips to be re dropped!!! And the classic dont wash hands between grabbing foods .... gahhh that killed me!!!

I also used to work at Mongolie Grill http://www.wardware.com/canada/Picture090102%20094.jpg thats not me but thats the enviroment i worked in.... and that was the best for being clean.... the prerp was done by an asain prepping master... called him sensei andy... anyways when it came to a seafood allergy we would use a fresh set of "spatulla things" and took every precaution... its pathetic to see some of these managers thinking of the money before peoples health its call a reputation!!! My father has owned a car mechanic buisness for 45 years and i know if he had a ---smurfy--- reputation it would never have happened I hope those places crash and burn!!

[RayB]

I worked at BK and seen guys rub buns on their armpits when they hear customers being rude.

[Ummon]

Although working in a bar (kitchen) while being 17 kicked ass (a teenager with facial hair who passed for 19.. legal age here in Regina,Sk, Canada) and i will never forget the after work bender and hooking up with a 27 year old waitress ahhhh good old fashion turning a boy into a man.....

Yeah. I got a little bit o trim via the places I worked, but probly the 'tops' of it was my 31-year-old, recently divorced, half-Asian assistant manager at Pizza sl....Hut. (I was 18.) Although, at 16 I'd already lost it to a 26-year-old.....   <shrugs>


Vampires?  That is weird.


"...that's bloody roast beef."  Classic.

I worked at BK and seen guys rub buns on their armpits when they hear customers being rude.

Freakin Booger Sling.

[Santoro]

I worked as a Supervisor at three different Friendly's during college.  I have to say I was very rarely scuzzed out by anything I saw there.  A bug every so often and we would get the exterminator in ASAP. Sometimes there were rats by the dumpster.

Worst I saw was that the waitresses would sometimes get lazy and not 'rotate' the ketchup bottles, refilling them nightly on top of the old ketchup at the bottom.  The ketchup at the bottom of the bottle would turn rancid and vinegary.

[HaRuMaN]

Eat at Shenanigans, enjoy your food! Eat at Shenanigans, CALVIN WORKS HEEEERE!

[Dartful Dodger]

I worked at a banquet hall in college and at a Browns Chicken in HS.  I couldn’t eat fried chicken for years after HS.  To this day I won't eat coleslaw, chicken salad or tuna salad. At both places mayo based products were a main target, even when people were following the rules, watching it being prepared made me sick.

[Ummon]

I don't remember seeing bugs of any sort at any of the places I worked - especially Mickie D's, that place was so clean.

One time we had sewer pipe burst downstairs (the pipe was above head level down there). They got it locked down and cleaned up before I got there, heh just missed it, but the stench stuck for a day or two.

DD - ah, mayonnaise.

[ark_ader]

The Applebees in Nevada are totally clean and friendly*.

I cannot vouch for the original poster's location, but if you ever in town, please give Applebees a visit.





* brought to you by a once in a blue moon applebees patron

[HanoiBoi]

Another ex-restaurant worker here;  Bennigan's, TGIFridays, Red Lobster.

Most of the stores that I worked in were clean and most people had standards.  I had high standards and many followed.  TGI Friday's was by far the most militant (good way) of knocking out food and keeping clean.

The best story I have comes not as much from ignorance as much as it does stupidity.  At Red Lobster, there was this manager named Stu.  He was not the brightest bulb and he was a weightlifter/bodybuilder.  Big upper body, smaller lower.  For this, I nicknamed him 'Stu-roid'.

One weekend night I was off, but I had a friend call me to tell me what had just gone down.  The snow crab legs come in frozen and we'd thaw what we were expecting to sell during the day/night.  Once thawed, they'd be put into a steamer as ordered.  Well, apparently either someone didn't thaw the right amount or they underestimated the business that night, and they ran out.  Stu-roid, in a panic, grabbed lots of frozen snow crab legs, put them onto a flat, dish rack and shoved them through the dishwasher (think conveyor belt).  Soap and all.  My understanding is that someone had to explain to him, and pretty much convince him that those crab legs could not be served because of the soap.

For this, I nicknamed him Stu-pid.

[ChadTower]

Erf.  When I was working at the student union at UMass one of the dishwashers showed up to work high.  He decided it would be fun to lay on the conveyor belt and go through the industrial dishwasher.  You could probably hear him screaming a mile away while he got splashed with near boiling water and steam before someone figured out how to turn the thing off.