Not to eat in fast food places per their workers

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Replies

  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Chicken breast doesn't melt in my experience.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
    EW. I have never had these sorts of issues in any of the places I've worked. Though recently I've found that the hand washing frequency is more lax at my job in pizza...
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    ERMAGERD.

    thumb.jpg

    ALL KINDS OF WRONG. I dont eat any of that stuff tho, but still. SO. TOTALLY. WRONG.
  • earthsember
    earthsember Posts: 435 Member
    I tend to stay away from fast food, icky stuff for the most part. But .... chicken nuggets melting when left out? How do they get cooked then? :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I tend to stay away from fast food, icky stuff for the most part. But .... chicken nuggets melting when left out? How do they get cooked then? :)
    Exactly.
    Especially when you consider the 14 year old McDonalds hamburger....

    http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/man-finds-mcdonalds-hamburger-in-his-pocket-after-14-years
  • liz827
    liz827 Posts: 193 Member
    Gross. :sick:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I tend to stay away from fast food, icky stuff for the most part. But .... chicken nuggets melting when left out? How do they get cooked then? :)
    Exactly.
    Especially when you consider the 14 year old McDonalds hamburger....

    http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/man-finds-mcdonalds-hamburger-in-his-pocket-after-14-years

    Burgers you cook at home do the exact same thing.

    Which isn't surprising, considering the hamburger is made of nothing but a ground beef patty (only additives are salt and pepper) and a bun.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I hate to say it but you're taking a risk every time you eat food that you didn't prepare, whether it's fast food, fine dining, or someone else's house for dinner. The only way to be sure to know exactly what happens to your food is to prepare it yourself, but even that isn't 100% since you don't know what the butcher did to your meat, or what kind of pesticides were sprayed on your veggies, etc.

    I worked at a national non-fast-food chain restaurant for 5 years in college and I was an absolute psycho about food quality and safety. I watched everything and I never let food out of the kitchen that wasn't prepared to the highest standards. God only knows what happened when I wasn't working. Ugh. I actually thought about doing this as a career but I have no idea how to get into it.
  • firekymmie72
    firekymmie72 Posts: 3 Member
    I worked at Wendys as a young Adult and that is how they make the Chili. All the old burgers get thrown in a bin and then made into chili when needed.
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I used to work in a Deli, and all of the meat / cheese that passed their sell by dates were sliced up and put on sandwiches! :angry: It was disgusting! Our manager would change the labels on things for later dates "Oh they're still good for a week after the exp date, its ok". Yeah, but if you change the label 5 times, then its actually a /month/ past expiration date.

    We also had grilled chicken breast we sold, and if it didn't sell (7 days) then it was chopped up and put in salads for another 3 days.

    Grrr.


    I've had food poisoning twice! Both times, from a deli.:sick:
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    mmmmm. I think I'll do some fast food for lunch!
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    My husband worked for Papa John's Pizza for a while and was very impressed by the cleanliness of the store and the care they took in making the food right. He said that the freezer was very clean and that the manager was a bit of a Nazi about making sure things were perfect. If workers weren't working they were expected to be cleaning the place up.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    I saw this today and thought I'd share:

    a McDonald's employee hosted an AMA (ask me anything) session on Reddit. Well that got the Reddit community thinking and so a user posted the question:

    "Fast food workers of Reddit, what is the one menu option at your employment that you would recommend people never eat? (Because of cooking safety, cleanliness, unhealthy, etc)."

    So want to eat as cleanly and healthily as possibly at fast food joints? Well here are some foods to stay away from and what some fast food workers had to say about them.

    Chicken Nuggets - "When I worked at McDonald's, I accidentally left a whole bag of about 100 chicken nuggets out on a counter for way too long. They melted. Into a pool of liquid. I never understood why. But they were completely indiscernible as being the nuggets i once knew."

    Wendy's Chili - "The meat comes from hamburger patties that sat on the grill too long to serve to customers. They take them and put them in a bin and then throw them in the fridge. When the chili is made they take it out, boil it, chop it up and dump them in the chili."

    Vegetarian Items - "I used to work at a restaurant where we deep-fried the Gardenburger patties in the same oil we deep-fried the bacon."

    Grilled Chicken - "At the beginning of the day we are told to get them out of the freezer and put them into hot water where they remain ALL DAY. then at the end of the day you have to take them out and SQUEEZE the gross *kitten* chicken water out of them which by now has made the meat soggy. Then we put them in a plastic container where they await the same treatment the next day."

    When i was a late teen, I actually worked at Wendys for about a year. I never recall us ever chopping up old burger patties that sat on the grill too long for Chili, not once. Now perhaps times have changed since that was quite some time ago but we never, ever did that nor were we told to. but even then, i dont see the harm in it. I mean the meat is still kept at a correct temperature. who DOESNT use left over meat for soups, goulashes and such???

    i will state that God bless the fact that i lived 2 miles from that job and had to walk there and back every day, bad weather or not. Otherwise i would have gained since I ate a Jr cheeseburger and fries every day during my shift (i was really broke, 50% off meals back then was a dream. I ate for $1.)
  • Kayla_292to165
    Kayla_292to165 Posts: 249 Member
    I was a manager at McD's for a couple of years. The chicken nuggets don't melt, the grilled chicken is frozen until ready to be cooked, we never served food that had been on the floor. The store I worked out was neat, clean, and we really took care to make sure everything was safe for the customers.
  • sherrybaby81
    sherrybaby81 Posts: 257 Member
    The nugget one and grilled chicken one are definitely not true. I worked at a McD's for 3 years and trust me, I have seen raw nuggets left out and they do NOT melt. The battered stuff on the outside goes mushy, and that is about it.

    The grilled chicken is kept frozen until it is put on the grill. It takes I think it was 7 minutes to cook, being turned halfway through.

    This was in Canada.

    Sherrybaby, you are describing American McDonald's food too. Nuggets don't melt, and the chicken is kept frozen like it is in Canada.

    No offense but do you think that potlucks are any better for you? Nobody thinks "ew, I'm full of germs, better not lick the spoon and then re-use it." I am a stickler to cleanliness practices in my own kitchen BECAUSE of working in fast food.
    I figured it would be the same way, but I just out it out there because I know some chains are different from country to country, even within the same chain. Thank you for clarifying that :)
  • Jess830409
    Jess830409 Posts: 285 Member
    I used to work at KFC, and I remember having to strip off all the chicken off the leftovers and saving it for the pot pies. So, gross old soggy chicken that's been in the warmer for hours and then manually stripped off by uncaring dirty teenagers that just want to go home and thrown into a bag into the deep freeze for up to 6 months.

    Mmmmmmm.

    I did this same thing as an employee at KFC when I was 15 years old - when I think of it now it is just so unsanitary and gross :-(
  • Cyclingbonnie
    Cyclingbonnie Posts: 413 Member
    Okay, as a teenager I worked at several different restaurants. None were technically fast food, but did have items on their menu that would be considered fast food. I assure you all of the restaurants had a very high cleanliness rating ... like A ... 100. However, I promise you that you would still be appalled at some of the things that went on in the kitchen. It is one of the reasons I like to eat in restaurants that you can see what is going on. It isn't just places like Waffle house that give you a view of the kitchen. Some of the finer restaurants allow you to be seated at the "Chef's Table" giving you a first hand view of the kitchen as they prepare your dinner and others. It is interesting and entertaining, and can let you know what is actually happening to your food.
  • missshyeviolett
    missshyeviolett Posts: 310 Member
    I used to work at KFC, and I remember having to strip off all the chicken off the leftovers and saving it for the pot pies. So, gross old soggy chicken that's been in the warmer for hours and then manually stripped off by uncaring dirty teenagers that just want to go home and thrown into a bag into the deep freeze for up to 6 months.

    Mmmmmmm.

    I don't know what KFC you worked at but per corporate guidelines that is absolutely untrue, not to mention it violates OSHA.
    I used to manage a KFC so I know this for a fact. End of rant.

    This was 99-2000 and it absolutely happened. Worst part of that job.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    I guess I'm a disgusting person, but some of this seems like practical stuff that I might do myself. Like, why wouldn't you use meat that's been on the grill too long for chili or leftover chicken for pot pies? And I'm not above eating stuff that fell on the floor in my own house, either.

    To avoid any and all grossness in the food you eat not only do you have to prepare it yourself, but you have to grow it yourself, too.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    I would still eat any of those things without a second thought.
  • This isn't as bad as most, but be leary of "healthy" menu options.

    When I was 15 and worked at a fast food restaurant the "grilled" chicken was slathered in a butter sauce when cooked.

    If we were running low on/out of reduced fat items they would mix it or completely replace it with the regular kind, like low fat cheese, mayo, salad dressing.
  • katie1286
    katie1286 Posts: 26 Member
    I guess I'm a disgusting person, but some of this seems like practical stuff that I might do myself. Like, why wouldn't you use meat that's been on the grill too long for chili or leftover chicken for pot pies? And I'm not above eating stuff that fell on the floor in my own house, either.

    To avoid any and all grossness in the food you eat not only do you have to prepare it yourself, but you have to grow it yourself, too.

    THIS. So much this.
    I totally use leftovers in my other meals. In fact, I got married a month ago - and we had leftover chicken from the dinner. For the next week, I specifically planned meals that would use up some of the leftovers... I don't see anything wrong with it.

    And yes, even if you're preparing your own food at home - unless you've grown it all yourself - you are still running some of these same risks. Not going to stop me from eating - fast food or otherwise..
  • Jess830409
    Jess830409 Posts: 285 Member
    This isn't as bad as most, but be leary of "healthy" menu options.

    When I was 15 and worked at a fast food restaurant the "grilled" chicken was slathered in a butter sauce when cooked.

    If we were running low on/out of reduced fat items they would mix it or completely replace it with the regular kind, like low fat cheese, mayo, salad dressing.

    That is one of my fears - when you order "low-fat" dressing or "low-fat" sour cream how do you REALLY know that it isn't just the regular kind lol. I guess that is why we should all limit eating out and just make healthy stuff at home when we can :-)
  • msuspartan10
    msuspartan10 Posts: 72 Member
    ...I use leftover hamburger/meatloaf in chili the next day. Opps.


    I worked at Subway and let me just say, don't eat the tuna. We just add more tuna and mayo to old tuna and stirred it up day after day, unless there was so little left it wasn't worth the effort/the pan was ultra crusty.

    This is another one that depends on the store. I worked at a subway for a number of years and nothing was ever kept beyond it's date or new mixed with old food. I would still avoid the tuna thought because holy mayonnaise, batman.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
    This thread is totally harshing my fast food buzz.

    I worked in a Chinese Restaurant so here's what i'll tell you not to order:
    - General Tso's chicken. If you were to take the crispy chunks of chicken and soak it in water for a day, you'll see that those massive looking chunks of chicken are actually 50% chicken or less (by volume). The deep fried breading absorbs the sweet, tangy sauce and creates a massive ball of empty calories with just the tiniest bit of chicken in the center.

    - Also, Never order Egg Foo Yung. If you even see it on the menu, you're in a "ghetto-Chinese" restaurant and not in a restaurant that a Chinese person would choose to dine. The gravy in the Egg Foo Yung is typically made of fat/lard + flour + MSG and a few other things. The egg patties are typically deep fried omelets. There's so much cholesterol in this. Avoid!!!
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    I used to work at KFC, and I remember having to strip off all the chicken off the leftovers and saving it for the pot pies. So, gross old soggy chicken that's been in the warmer for hours and then manually stripped off by uncaring dirty teenagers that just want to go home and thrown into a bag into the deep freeze for up to 6 months.

    Mmmmmmm.

    I don't know what KFC you worked at but per corporate guidelines that is absolutely untrue, not to mention it violates OSHA.
    I used to manage a KFC so I know this for a fact. End of rant.

    This was 99-2000 and it absolutely happened. Worst part of that job.

    Unless you didn't use gloves, I really don't see the problem with stripping off chicken to use in a pie.

    It's something I would do at home with a leftover roast chicken.
  • musycnlyrics
    musycnlyrics Posts: 323 Member
    The Wendy's Chili is not made like that (at least it's not supposed to be). I worked at Wendy's as a teenager for a while and the meat for the chili comes in a separate bag, pre seasoned and pre cooked. Just add water.

    And if that fact is untrue, I can only assume that the rest are also probably untrue as well.

    At the Wendy's YOU worked at it didn't happen... but you can't speak for them all.

    I worked at Wendys years ago (circa 2002) and we definitely put the burnt hamburgers in the chili. But as the other poster said, there was "chili meat" that came preseasoned, frozen in a bag, we just added the extra hamburger or used the burnt burger meat instead.
    Also, when wendys used to serve fried chicken, we had this huge vat of batter to dip the chicken in before putting in flour...it definitely had raw eggs in it (the other ingredients were unknown to me) and it would sit out all day. Sometimes over night. and we would use it till it was gone. Sometimes it smelled funny. I havent eaten chicken at a fast food place in about 10 years because of that experience.
  • Where I work I actually think a lot of our food is not super terrible. yes the chicken strips and burgers are deep fried and full of sodium but just cutting into them you can tell its real chicken. Fries and onion rings are really bad for you and our chicken pieces are tasteless and gross. but the burgers are all beef nd cooked from frozen all day so they are pretty freshly cooked when they are served. and our grilled chicken is stored in the fridge not n water until we cook it . Plus nice fresh veggies and buns and such.

    Vegetarian is so true we cook them right on the same grill and right along side the beef burgers/bacon/everything else. So yea its' veggie burger' but its cooked in oil and fat of beef burgers so defeats the purpose. No fast food place is gonna work to hard to cook them in a separate vegetarian zone.

    I do cringe when people order large sodas though... no one needs 20 ounces of soda...

    I work at an A&W by the way and eat there occasionally if I ad a long shift and a break near dinner time ( I cook up a fresh chicken grill patty with whole wheat bun and a bunch of veggies and a salad so its pretty healthy for what its worth. )
  • sugaree1202
    sugaree1202 Posts: 184 Member
    I guess I'm a disgusting person, but some of this seems like practical stuff that I might do myself. Like, why wouldn't you use meat that's been on the grill too long for chili or leftover chicken for pot pies? And I'm not above eating stuff that fell on the floor in my own house, either.

    To avoid any and all grossness in the food you eat not only do you have to prepare it yourself, but you have to grow it yourself, too.

    THIS. So much this.
    I totally use leftovers in my other meals. In fact, I got married a month ago - and we had leftover chicken from the dinner. For the next week, I specifically planned meals that would use up some of the leftovers... I don't see anything wrong with it.

    And yes, even if you're preparing your own food at home - unless you've grown it all yourself - you are still running some of these same risks. Not going to stop me from eating - fast food or otherwise..

    The issue isn't using leftovers - it's using food that was still sitting in a warmer at the end of the day. If you made dinner, then let the leftovers sit in 90 degree heat for 8 - 12 hours, would you still put it in the fridge, then use it for another meal? Also, there is an expectation that when a person goes to a restaurant, diner, fast food chain, etc that the food fresh and cooked to order not to mention there are health codes and regulations that need to be followed regarding how long food can be stored for, at what temp, etc. Eating leftovers or something that fell on the floor at home is completely different than unknowingly eating leftovers - which could be from a week or more prior, you just don't know - or something that fell on the floor in a diner, fast food place or restaurant.
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
    I've learned to not trust everything I read on Reddit.