I know I have mentioned this before, but I have had numerous instances in the last month. I do mostly restaurant shops. As a former restaurant manager and DM for a chain, I am probably more aware of issues that constitute health dept violations.

I constantly see servers who handle the lip of a drink glass with their bare hands, rather than holding the glass in the middle.

I am asking you all to look out for this and please mention it on the report if you see it.

Together we can make a difference.

One of my pet peeves, as well--especially if it is right after handling dirty dishes. EWWW

The city I live in publishes health inspection reports on area restaurants. I am really glad they do, because they find horrible violations.

Hair play's another one. They just can't seem to keep their hands out of there. I guess it's a cute selfie thing. I wanna slap 'em!

I had one recently where a server with long hair was holding the tray up on his shoulder, and his hair appeared to be nearly touching the food. I reported it, and he had a ponytail next time instead of loose hair.

Grabbing a cup with fingers inside has long been a pet peeve of mine. I hollered at an employee in a fast casual place once, not during a shop. Manager showed up to find out what was the problem. Recently I pointed out to an employee that I didn't want his fingers inside my cup. Person dining with me said there is no other way to hand out disposable cups and I was being unreasonable.

Oh being an RN, some things send me right on over the moon

Eeewww! Gross. It probably did come in contact with the food.

@mjt9598 wrote:

I had one recently where a server with long hair was holding the tray up on his shoulder, and his hair appeared to be nearly touching the food. I reported it, and he had a ponytail next time instead of loose hair.

Not on a shop... I went into Raising Cane's for my free drink. The young lady behind the counter stuck her fingers inside the cup to pull it off the stack then handed it to me. I asked for a new cup that she hadn't put her fingers into. I might have even asked her if she washed her hands after handling cash? She looked surprised, as if she had never been told you do not put your hands inside the cup (or pick up silverware or plasticware by the tines of the fork, blade of the knife or bowl of the spoon). She set the "ick" cup on the counter before giving me a fresh one. 100% certainty she gave the "ick" cup to the next customer.

I had ordered a frozen custard through a drive-thru. The pickup window person handed the dessert cup to the car in front of me. They paused and about 10-15 seconds later handed it back, since it was not theirs. When I pulled up they attempted to hand that cup to me. I said I did not want that one since they offered it to the car in front. The guy was about to try and convince me, but I was already shaking my head "no." So he called out for a new one. But he did not throw that first one away. He sat it on another counter. He did apologize and give me a new one, but still.

I have requested a new glass (not on a shop) when the server refills my drink by touching the pitcher to my cup. I know it has also touched every cup before me, right where people put their mouths.

@Threemom wrote:

I have requested a new glass (not on a shop) when the server refills my drink by touching the pitcher to my cup. I know it has also touched every cup before me, right where people put their mouths.

I am so glad to see I am not alone in my repulsions. I agree with others that most servers seem "surprised" when you point this out.


A similar transgression is when they use your drink cup, clean or not, as an ice scoop. This is an absolute health dept. violation.

I think fast food workers have very little training on hygiene and food safety practices.

None of us have the training either and yet here we are pointing out ick factors.

I don't know when I see jobs posted at fast food places here in Northern Alabama. They all ask for a food handlers certificate or something like that. I don't know if it's a like a seminar with a test or just a seminar saying that you were in the class.

50 years ago when I worked in fast food for like three whole months. Nothing like that existed.

The ServSafe training was an eye opener. I studied the book, memorized the times and temps for the various foods, etc., and took the test. I thought I knew food safety before that course and test, but nah, I was surprised to learn so much more and never forgot it.

Tea, for example, sitting in those dispensers for customers to self-serve or even behind the counter for the employee to serve, can only be there 4 hours maximum. You cannot add more to the container, you wash and sanitize it, first. The extra batch(es) of tea already made and refrigerated has a 24 hour life to be considered safe.

Makes you think about people who make it at home or have bought some and opened it and returned it to the refrigerator. They may have it for a few days, not knowing that is not safe after 24 hours!

Somebody forgot the "in" prefix amid their forum handle.

I was watching videos on IG last night and one of the food influencers who goes to empty restaurants and posts to get them business has a video where the owner/cook/cashier wore the same gloves for everything. I am not sure whether he touched any food directly since I know he used tongs at one point, but he did pick up the greasy bag and hand it off, then fist bump, then touch money all without a glove change. I read through comments and nobody said a word.

I do some shops with a bar requirement. They specifically ask if the drink was handled by the rim.

Ooh, just thought of new ick. I pay cash on those bar shops. Bartender touches my dirty money, including coins. Then makes drinks with an ice scoop. Scoop is often rested inside the ice bin. The handle was touched with the same money-handling hands. They also use their hands to put the garnish on top. Ugh.

@rho says, "Person dining with me said there is no other way to hand out disposable cups and I was being unreasonable."

LindaS asks, did you explain to your "person" the other possible ways to hand out cups?

@purpleicee wrote:
"Tea, for example, sitting in those dispensers for customers to self-serve or even behind the counter for the employee to serve, can only be there 4 hours maximum. You cannot add more to the container, you wash and sanitize it, first. The extra batch(es) of tea already made and refrigerated has a 24 hour life to be considered safe."

LindaS adds: I have the drink membership at a large chain and had been getting their iced tea. But in the past 4-5 months or so, every single location I've been to, the tea is absolutely gross. It's obvious they do not clean the container or the nozzles as required. Many times the plastic containers have that gross brown tea film. Needless to say, I no longer get iced tea there.

(Edited for clarity and punctuation)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2026 06:04PM by LindaS.

I wash my hands before cracking open a can of food for my cats. But that’s just me.

@mjt9598 wrote:

I had one recently where a server with long hair was holding the tray up on his shoulder, and his hair appeared to be nearly touching the food. I reported it, and he had a ponytail next time instead of loose hair.

Nasty. Standards have taken a nose dive at most restaurants. When I waitressed in college and I never missed one day having my hair in a french twist, a spotless white shirt with a collar and manicured nails. I was the only female amongst an all male waitstaff and had to perform as good as they did. The owners were snobs like that. The tips were good though.

@Rho wrote:

None of us have the training either and yet here we are pointing out ick factors.

I was a DM for a fast food chain back around 1980 when my state mandated food handlers' training. I was actually in the very first class taught in the state. So, yes, I have been trained. Still have my card

As a store manager, I nearly always received 100's on my heath dept inspections. I was invited by the local vo-tech to be on an advisory committee for hospitality training. Unfortunately, my schedule precluded that. Always regretted it.


Catmom-

The ice scoop should be stored in a container outside the ice bin or can be stood up in the ice as long as the handle is not in the ice.

Plastic gloves give a false sense of safety. Remember during Covid when people whould wear the same gloves everywhere? I always watch to see if restaurant staff uses the same gloves and moves from place to place. So far, the staff I have encounteresd (largely at the many men burger place and the pocket shop sandwich place) are very diligent about replacing their gloves. But who knows what happens when no one is watching?


Linda S- is does not take long for cloud to form in fresh-brewed iced tea. I believe I know the sandwich chain which has the tea pass. Everytime I am there, I see them making fresh batches of tea.

PurpleIce- I will look for the Serv Safe video. THX

ShopperGirly says,
Linda S- it does not take long for cloud to form in fresh-brewed iced tea. I believe I know the sandwich chain which has the tea pass. Everytime I am there, I see them making fresh batches of tea.

LindaS asks: is the cloudiness in the tea itself? It sounds like it based on your comment. Or is it all over the sides of the large plastic container/dispenser? (My scenario)

Linda adds: thank you for sharing your experience and expertise with us.

The chain I'm referring to doesn't have just a tea pass. Theirs is called Sip Club. It's all types of drinks: sodas, tea, and coffee. For the hot tea you have a few choices of tea bags and you add hot water. But for the cold tea, it's only one choice, the tea in the clear dispenser.

I wish they were always making fresh batches of tea. The "gross brown tea film" I referred to in my original post was all over the walls of the large container/dispenser. It usually looks like they halfheartedly tried to clean the inside of the dispenser but gave up and just put the next batch of tea into it anyway.

ShopperGirly, with your background, training and extensive knowledge of food safety, this stuff must make you cringe. It does me and it seems like it does for most of the rest of the shoppers who've added to this thread.

Hopefully, we don't get sick from the ick. Now there's an idea for another thread... has anyone gotten sick from a shop?

Hope this helps in repsonse to the cloudy tea discussion.

[www.google.com]

Linda S -

My mother is a picky drinker. No caffeine, no calories. So basically, Sprite Zero or diet 7up (maybe diet Mountain Dew??) or diet Barq’s but if they don’t have a freestyle machine, we don’t find these options (apart from Mountain Dew but not sure it is caffeine free). So we order the hot tea, brew it strong and then pour over a tall glass of ice to make our own iced tea. Use the sweetener of choice. Yes, we are usually trusting that they really gave us the decaf teabag but it seems to be ok. Is this the most practical solution? No. But it does give us some control over the end product. When they made this for us in the back, it threw off timing and was rushed so the tea was very weak once the ice melted.

Mountain Dew is not caffeine free.

@catmom23 wrote:

Linda S -

My mother is a picky drinker. No caffeine, no calories. So basically, Sprite Zero or diet 7up (maybe diet Mountain Dew??) or diet Barq’s but if they don’t have a freestyle machine, we don’t find these options (apart from Mountain Dew but not sure it is caffeine free). So we order the hot tea, brew it strong and then pour over a tall glass of ice to make our own iced tea. Use the sweetener of choice. Yes, we are usually trusting that they really gave us the decaf teabag but it seems to be ok. Is this the most practical solution? No. But it does give us some control over the end product. When they made this for us in the back, it threw off timing and was rushed so the tea was very weak once the ice melted.

Regular isn’t but I looked it up and diet has a caffeine-free option. Not sure what’s in the Pepsi soda dispenser.

@mjt9598 wrote:

Mountain Dew is not caffeine free.

@catmom23 wrote:

Linda S -

My mother is a picky drinker. No caffeine, no calories. So basically, Sprite Zero or diet 7up (maybe diet Mountain Dew??) or diet Barq’s but if they don’t have a freestyle machine, we don’t find these options (apart from Mountain Dew but not sure it is caffeine free)...

@catmom23 wrote:

Linda S -

My mother is a picky drinker. No caffeine, no calories. So basically, Sprite Zero or diet 7up (maybe diet Mountain Dew??) or diet Barq’s but if they don’t have a freestyle machine, we don’t find these options (apart from Mountain Dew but not sure it is caffeine free). So we order the hot tea, brew it strong and then pour over a tall glass of ice to make our own iced tea. Use the sweetener of choice. Yes, we are usually trusting that they really gave us the decaf teabag but it seems to be ok. Is this the most practical solution? No. But it does give us some control over the end product. When they made this for us in the back, it threw off timing and was rushed so the tea was very weak once the ice melted.

I also avoid caffeine and calories. Diet RB is my first choice. Honestly, Iced tea is very low in caffeine and I will order it with a lot of ice. I carry Stevia with me and sometimes lemon packets. Amazing what you can do with a glass of ice water. I hate any Pepsi or MT Dew with a passion and wont drink it.