Take out restaurant ick -- what would you do?

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I stopped at a local chinese take out restaurant today to get a little lunch. When I arrived there was 1 other person waiting for an order. There were 3 people in the kitchen area -- one woman and two men. One of the men was all the way in the back chopping something on a big wooden chopping block.

I place my order -- some Kung Po Chicken and some spicy wontons. The woman in the kitchen was working on the other customers order. The other man was working on an order that had been placed by phone. He spoke chinese to the man cutting something in the back and he came forward to cook. I wasn't really paying attention or I would have said something sooner, but as I watched he began to prepare what I realized was my Kung Po as the other male got done with what he was cooking and started on my wontons. The guy who was chopping the meat and working on my kung po grabbed a couple of the foldy chinese takeout boxes and is trying to pull them apart. Then he goes to the wok and is cooking the kung po.

The problem, I realize, is that he was previously chopping something raw and now he is cooking my food! I say to the woman behind the counter -- "Can I ask what he was chopping?" She looks and tells me that it is chicken. Raw chicken mind you! Ick!

I start to tell her that it is unsanitary for him to be doing that. The other man comes over -- I guess he was the owner or manager. I tell him that I do not want the kung po chicken since I saw the other guy make it without washing his hands. I explain that it is very unsanitary for him to do that -- along with the fact that he was handling the inside of the take out container just after touching raw chicken and then he put the cooked food in the container.

The guy tells me that it is okay since he cooked the chicken. "not that chicken" I say pointing to the big pile he was working on in back of the restaurant. "It's fine." he tells me.

Somehow I don't think the health department would think it is that fine. I bought the wontons and left. The man kept insisting everything was fine and he yelled at me for not wanting the kung po -- that he can't operate a business that way. I ate some of the wontons -- but I had lost a lot of my appetite. I'm thinking of letting the board or health know what I witnessed. What do you think?

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

I would let the health board know. That is just plain unsanitary. Kudos for you watching him make it. Good thing you noticed it.

 

[ChrisFL]

Chinese Restaurants in general seem to have a lot of health violations, at least around here. There's a local "Dirty Dining" report on the news weekly and many of the places they visit are chinese.

I LOVE chinese food so this is an issue for me, I only go to a place where I can trust that it's high quality or I can see everything they're doing.

 

[Stacerita]

ICK!!! Sometimes its better to not be able to see whats going on in the back kitchen.

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

Chinese Restaurants in general seem to have a lot of health violations, at least around here. There's a local "Dirty Dining" report on the news weekly and many of the places they visit are chinese.

I LOVE chinese food so this is an issue for me, I only go to a place where I can trust that it's high quality or I can see everything they're doing.

I agree.

 

[paigevz]

Yes, that could make you sick..........it should be reported.

 

[momrek06]

ICK!!! Sometimes its better to not be able to see whats going on in the back kitchen.

Ya, no kidding, crap like that creeps me out. BUT aren't Town's Health Boards suppose to make "cold" calls to restaurants checking on the sanitary issues!! Like RAW chicken on a WOODEN chopping block...YIKES!!! SCARY!!!

 

[FroggyinArk]

the most often cited restaurants for health code/sanitary violations are Chinese restaurants, i have seen the prep areas of the local place, even before they opened, when they were just cooking for themselves, i refuse to eat there. and i definitely do not recommend them to anyone, the one here now hasn't been cited yet, but the one that was h ere before this one opened, the owner was arrested for having un-nspected meats in the cooler, ( i wont say what animals they were, but was not beef or pork) and other health violations, he had the nerve to come back and re open the restaurant in the same location, etc,, three months later he was shut down for health code violations.

 

[MrsKreamer]

We had a report on a local Chinese place pre-Katrina. Someone, just driving around minding their own business, caught a worker from a Chinese restaurant hosing off pots and pans outside!

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

We had a report on a local Chinese place pre-Katrina. Someone, just driving around minding their own business, caught a worker from a Chinese restaurant hosing off pots and pans outside!

OMG...

 

[MamaLema]

After an experience I had, I actually gave up Chinese food forever. The only Chinese food I eat is the one I cook myself.

I saw my waitress pick her nose and then carry out my soup with her fingers inside the side of the bowl Why she didn't use a tray, I don't know.

I know it's not right to judge every Chinese restaurant like that, but I haven't found any that I trust yet.

 

[Ms. Belle]

Definitely call the health dept and report it. I got salmonella from our local chinese restaurant after eating sushi there. Not only did I get sick, but 150 other people did also, all from the same restaurant. The health dept closed the restaurant down for a month and the owner is now being sued by many of the people who got sick. The workers were not washing their hands, then handling raw meat, etc. I know that this type of thing can happen at any restaurant, it's pretty scary to think about. Our health dept only inspects restaurants twice a year. They really need to check more.

 

[MushyMushy]

Definitely call the health dept and report it. I got salmonella from our local chinese restaurant after eating sushi there. Not only did I get sick, but 150 other people did also, all from the same restaurant. The health dept closed the restaurant down for a month and the owner is now being sued by many of the people who got sick. The workers were not washing their hands, then handling raw meat, etc. I know that this type of thing can happen at any restaurant, it's pretty scary to think about. Our health dept only inspects restaurants twice a year. They really need to check more.

Ewwww. I'd never get sushi from a Chinese restaurant!

 

[tiggersmom2]

One of our local chinese joints was closed down after the workers were found scavenging for food out of the Kroger's dumpster(it was ALL OVER the local papers). They were using out of date meats that Kroger had discarded......and I had eaten at this establishment several times.

I am leery of most chinese establishments now....I have heard too many horror stories.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

This thread makes me very, very glad that I don't like Chinese food!

 

[kdudley3]

If you think about it, the owner/manager knew what you complained about and still tried to convince you that it was ok. So you know he has no regard for cleanliness because because he didn't even care when he got caught. So what else is he doing that you haven't seen ?

I say turn him in. If anything you could be saving someone from becoming violently ill or even death.

My dad had food poisoning once and he said that you get so sick that you want to die.

Go ahead and save somebody or maybe many !

 

[OceanAnnie]

One of our local chinese joints was closed down after the workers were found scavenging for food out of the Kroger's dumpster(it was ALL OVER the local papers). They were using out of date meats that Kroger had discarded......and I had eaten at this establishment several times.

I am leery of most chinese establishments now....I have heard too many horror stories.

Where is that throw up smilie?! I rarely eat Chinese. When I do, it's at a chain restaurant that offers a wide variety of stuff. LOL. Just seems safer.

I would report it, Beth. The fact that the owner kept saying it's ok (when clearly it's not) is concerning. You'd be doing a lot of people a favor by reporting it.

 

[Daxx]

I would call the health dept. and let them know what happened to you! Cutting chicken on a wooden chopping block is extremely unsanitary, as is opening food containers w/o washing your hands after chopping raw chicken! I know that sometimes people "forget" ... but you pointed it out to the manager/owner and he chose to not do anything about it!

I've watched enough cooking shows (ie: Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef) to know that if a chef sweats, bleeds, drops food, sticks a finger in sauce to taste it, or if the food comes in contact w/anything it shouldn't that it gets thrown out immediately!!!!

In a small village around my area, where there are many ducks, the owner of a chinese restaurant was caught trying to catch them! They closed him down pretty quickly b/c you're not allowed to hunt the ducks at the park! And, heaven only knows what kind of garbage those ducks ate!!!!! Gross!!!!

 

[Jynohn]

Unfortunately it's not just chinese restaurants that have little regard for health codes. I have had several waitressing jobs in the past and it's surprising that I'm still able to eat in restaurants at all after some of the things I've seen

I remember my first job when one of my co-workers had cleared a table not realizing that the customer wanted his food wrapped to take home. It had already gone in the trash, and when she found out he had wanted the leftovers, the chef reached in and PULLED IT OUT OF THE TRASH to give back to him!

When I take leftovers home I always ask for the server just to bring me a container and I do it myself after I've seen the way it's handled once it gets back to the kitchen. Servers are in a huge rush back there and often just use their hands to scrape the plates or transfer food. Things sometimes get dropped, and just scooped back up...

I also am very leary of eating salads at restaurants because the servers often prepare them themselves, using bare hands if tongs aren't around. These are major chain restaurants I'm talking about here, sadly.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Thanks for the replies.

The restaurant has now been reported!

I'm sure there's stuff going on that I never see at a host of chinese restaurants I get food from, but what I don't know I can't gag over.