Restaurant Fumbles that Will Make People Want to Eat At Home

ben - July 31, 2021
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Restaurant Fumbles that Will Make People Want to Eat At Home

In the modern world, it seems like restaurants make the world go round. After a busy day at work, you just don’t have time or the energy to make a meal. With DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEats available, there’s almost no need to cook for yourself. Other than to fit your budget. But with more restaurants, there’s more opportunity for humans to… ruin them. Gordon Ramsey made a whole show called “Kitchen Nightmares” just to highlight the atrocities that go on behind the scenes. Of course, in that show, Gordon fixes the issues. Or tries to. But in this nightmarish list, it doesn’t get fixed. It’s just awful. You’ve been warned.

Pesticides, Pizza, and Pasta!

Image courtesy of Twitter user ascifiwriter

So we know that restaurants need to manage their grounds… but this is a little excessive. This guy drove past and noticed that the cook was apparently on pesticide duty. And some of you may think that this is a normal occurrence for a restaurant. But they should have way more standards surrounding their cooks handling such intense chemicals in their cooking uniform.

Not only are pesticides dangerous to the environment, but they are also hazardous to a person’s health. Pesticides are stored in your colon, where they slowly but surely poison the body. You may not realize this, but when you are eating a non-organic apple, you are also eating over 30 different pesticides that have been sprayed on the apple. Even if you wash a piece of fruit, such as an apple, there are still many pesticides lingering on it and they could have seeped into the fruit or vegetable. So can you imagine how bad it would be to cross contaminate into whatever food he touches?

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The Lettuce from Hell

Image courtesy of Thechive user brodakmoment

Okay, this is just disgusting. We’re also not entirely sure what we’re looking at here. They’ve put unwashed lettuce in a glass and served it that way? This customer must have been in for a real shock when they saw this. And based on the dishwater and set up we see here, this looks like this should be a nicer restaurant. Restaurants should definitely be leaders in food prep and safety. Washing lettuce and other salad greens is extremely important.

Washing lettuce is primarily a matter of food safety: It helps to prevent bacteria like E.coli and other food borne illnesses, which can be transferred to leaves through the soil, or through improper handling or transporting after harvest. When you’re dining at a restaurant, you’re leaving a lot of faith and trust in the people to properly prepare your food.

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What Madness is this?

Image courtesy of Imgur user butlergraphics

Once again, we’re not sure what we are looking at. Did the restaurant serve it like this? This could be a strange coffee concoction with a creamer cup accidentally thrown in. Of course, we could be totally off base. This could be a really gross clam chowder.

If this brought to a table, I would just get up and leave. And then I would call the police, because this is an actual crime against food. We’re going to assume this is some sort of soup because this is a bowl… not a coffee cup. Whoever ordered this probably didn’t expect to receive a disaster in a bowl. Unless that’s what it was called on the menu.

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Public Notice… that you probably shouldn’t eat here

Image courtesy of Twitter user DesertMAD

This is a big problem. For obvious reasons. This is definitely not something you want to see if you’re looking for a good lunch spot. If a restaurant fails to fix a critical violation, it can be fined. There are a handful of super-serious health code violations that could provoke a health inspector to temporarily shut down a restaurant until the problem is fixed.

It’s so strange that this place wouldn’t be shut down if they have a sign for the Oregon Department of Human Services saying they failed. It looks like they’re still getting customers too! Infractions that present an immediate health hazard and are likely to cause food borne illness are a serious concern. This could include food contamination, time-temperature abuse, lack of safe water, sewage backup, active pest infestations, and many more.

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This restaurant really wanted to make a statement about masks

Image courtesy of Twitter user DougJohnsonFX40

With the COVID crisis continuing on its concerning trajectory, you would think that restaurants and people would take it a bit more seriously. As of July 2021, there have been nearly 35 million cases in the US and 612K deaths. So it really does seem absurd that a restaurant would not only decide to not comply, but make a sign like this. It is pretty distasteful, actually.

Well the Apple Bistro apparently doesn’t care about any health or safety guidelines put out by the Center for Disease Control. This happened in Northern California when the restaurant owners turned their noses to the ongoing pandemic. But they haven’t gotten away Scott-free. They’ve racked up some pretty hefty fines – that they, of course, believe are “unconstitutional”. Apple Bistro is now facing a fine of $53,200.

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Restaurant of the Flies

Image courtesy of Yaplakal user droopiesmom

When you’re sitting down to eat, you expect a clean table, fresh air, and tidy surroundings. What you don’t expect is a fly trap above your table. Sure, we understand that flies can be an annoying pest in restaurants. But in excess like this, it seems like this should be a cause for concern. But why are flies so bad?

These insects feed on some of the grimiest substances on earth, including garbage and sewage. When flies land to feed on these substances, they can pick up billions of harmful microorganisms, including E. coli and Salmonella, which can lead to serious illnesses in humans. To transfer these microorganisms to a patron’s meal, a fly simply lands on the food and inadvertently drops off disease-causing pathogens.

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We don’t think that ketchup should be in there…

Image courtesy of Reddit user H8ry2vxj

Although the bathroom is usually dedicated to hygiene and personal care, they can carry some of the most harmful bacteria. So when food items like ketchup bottles start showing up in the bathroom… that’s a problem. This person seems to not be sure if this is a makeshift soap dispenser. But I think it’s safe to say that this restaurant just needs to invest in something else if they’re using a ketchup bottle.

The most common types of bacteria found in any bathroom are bacteroidaceae, or bacteria from poo, E. coli, streptococcus and salmonella. We are regularly exposed to these types of bacteria on daily basis, not just in the bathroom, so the best way to prevent them spreading is to wash your hands. Let’s hope that they’ve taken this ketchup bottle out.

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Service Not Included

Image courtesy of Reddit user HooksaN

If you can’t afford to tip a server, you shouldn’t be going out. This is a pretty well known and courteous fact. But this restaurant really has us scratching our heads. This person uploaded a photo of their receipt. You can see that the service fee that’s automatically charged is 10%. But at the bottom of the receipt it says, “Service Not Included”.

I mean, you should be tipping 15-20%. But if this is on top of the expected tip, that’s a bit much. Also, they need to just be a bit more clear in general. The person that posted this photo also explained: “Receipt at an already overpriced restaurant. When I asked the waiter he just shrugged and said ‘Oh yeah, we need to fix that’. “

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This tip pitcher should have been burned

Image courtesy of joemonster.org

We’ve already established that tipping is great. But these restaurants are somehow making tipping just awful. This photo is pretty obvious evidence that this restaurant’s health standards are not up to par. As seen in the photo, this old pitcher used to be used for tips. And even though it’s likely that they washed this pitcher before putting whatever liquid this is in it… it still just doesn’t sit well.

U.S. currency is a pretty plush place for germs to land. It’s 75% cotton and 25% linen, which offers a soft environment into which microbes can settle. Money can carry viruses, protozoa, and bacteria. Depending on where it’s been, it could carry almost anything. One old and widely-cited study even found that 79% of one-dollar bills contain traces of cocaine.

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A soup packed with lots of… iron?

Image courtesy of Tumblr user jameshollenbergphoto

Well this is just weird. How does a screw (especially of this size) end up in a bowl of soup. It almost seems intentional. This restaurant probably got into a lot of trouble for this one. As they should. This type of accident could have ended in a hospital trip. It would be hard to not catch it as soon as you put it in your mouth. But this could present as a serious choking hazard.

Finding a foreign object in your food can be a truly traumatizing event. Victims who have been damaged by foreign objects in their food have every right to sue the fast-food chain, restaurant, or food product manufacturer responsible for the incident. So maybe this restaurant will learn their lesson after this scary event.

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Tipping has a pretty bad history in the US

Image courtesy of Reddit user M7plusoneequalsm8

This one doesn’t necessarily make us want to eat home instead. But it does speak to a bigger issue of how much servers get paid in the US. This Redditor said, “Only in America would a restaurant display on the wall that they don’t pay their staff enough to live on.” And they’re not wrong. When you look at the numbers, it’s pretty obvious that nobody could survive off of what they make. Turns out, tipping has a pretty spotted history.

The act of tipping is said to have started in feudal Europe, when strict social hierarchies prevented any real kind of social mobility and it was a common practice among aristocrats to tip servants. It wasn’t brought over to the U.S. until the 19th century, and was only popularized after the Civil War. But in this country, instead of being additional compensation on top of a regular  wage, it functioned as an immediate and racist solution for employers who did not want to pay recently freed black slaves.

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Clean utensils will be an extra charge

Image courtesy of Twitter user monday_mayhem

There is no way this restaurant could still be operating. Didn’t we talk about how restaurants could be shut down for smaller offenses? We’ve all worried a bit about whether or not the silverware we use at a restaurant is up to our health standards. But seeing visual proof of the germs on utensils doesn’t help our anxiety. Turns out, it’s not just paranoia that causes us to think restaurant silverware isn’t clean.

Researchers at Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science conducted studies proving that odds are high that a gastroenteritis-causing virus is present on all public silverware, even after they’ve been washed and dried.

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Some trashy curtains

Image courtesy of Reddit user mvartan

Even if a restaurant is super clean, there are certain aesthetics and styles that are just a turn off for customers. This is definitely a prime example of that. These curtains are there for a reason. They don’t have the nicest looking kitchen set up. So it’s important that the divider between dining room and kitchen… actually works. You can see straight through it!

A 2014 study shows that the interior design of a restaurant is one of the factors that influences customer satisfaction. The comfort of your guests is important to their overall acceptance of your restaurant, and it contributes to their whole experience from food to customer service.

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Cleaning the ceiling

Image courtesy of Reddit user nickieva

In the grand scheme of what could go wrong in a restaurant, not cleaning things properly is definitely at the top of the list. However, this restaurant doesn’t really get the memo on how they should be cleaning the ceiling. It should not be happening during business hours for a number of different reasons. And they are actively cooking food in the same area where the ceiling gunk will definitely fall. But why would a restaurant ceiling be such a cause for concern?

So what is the big deal about ceilings?  They are the overhead traps that catch all of the airborne grease aerosols from the grill and all the humidity from the sinks and dishwashers.  These naturally sticky materials also catch all the other airborne debris (dust, dirt, bacteria etc.) that may or may not be visible. Once again, this just makes all of us want to stay home and cook.

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DO NOT prepare meat this way.

Image courtesy of cbs46 user PIAOB2013

We don’t even think cooking this meat thoroughly can undo this. All meat preparation should be done on a clean, sterilized surface inside of the kitchen. You also need to make sure that things are being wiped down properly afterwards to prevent cross contamination. This is in no way, shape, or form close to where this meat should be prepared.

The US loves its meat. According to a 2020 study, the meat consumption figure is estimated at 224.63 pounds per person including beef, pork, total chicken, turkey and lamb. That figure is a new record high, outpacing 2019’s 224.1 pounds per person. So that’s a lot of situations where meat preparation in public dining can go wrong. We will now be checking every back alley before entering a restaurant.

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The Salad that could have been

Image courtesy of BuzzFeed user Po1sonator-2

Healthy eating is important. If you are more health conscious while eating out, sometimes a side salad is just the addition you need to get a well-balanced meal. But we’re pretty sure this restaurant has never seen a salad before. Iceberg lettuce with some shredded carrots? That’s pretty sad. They should not be charging anybody for that pathetic plate.

It seems like they really just used whatever was lying around the kitchen. And this is especially sad because there are so many amazing and simple salad recipes this restaurant could be using. But one thing is for sure, these people probably wish that they’d just stayed home and saved their money.

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Is this Kraft Mac and cheese?

Image courtesy of Imgur user Po1sonator

It doesn’t get much more disappointing than going to a nice restaurant, ordering a meal, and discovering that part of that meal just came straight from the box. It looks like this diner experienced this exact scenario. Because this macaroni certainly does not look home made… This actually just looks like a sad meal in general. Definitely not worthy of the price tag they paid for it.

Additionally, we don’t know if this person ordered their steak extremely well done, but it just looks hard to stomach. And based on the mood of the picture, we think it’s safe to say they’re not enjoying their meal at all. We will just make a steak and mac’n’cheese at home, thanks.

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The actual nightmare

Horrifying. GoSocial.

Just walked away to puke. Now it’s time to unpack this absolutely horrifying and cannibalistic experience. This isn’t the first finger-found-in-food incident in recent years. But this certainly takes the cake and makes you feel terrible for this little boy. Arby’s actually has a checkered past when it comes to sneaking human flesh into their food.

In 2004, another man bit into an Arby’s sandwich and came away with a shock. He also discovered a partially severed finger in his sandwich. Upon further investigation, the store’s manager happened to have a pretty noticeable bandage covering one of his digits. Turns out, while slicing lettuce, he suffered a pretty major cut that resulted in losing the tip of his finger. And… he didn’t replace the lettuce bin. So it sat there in the lettuce until it ended up in a man’s sandwich.

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These loaded potatoes are gourmet treats

Image courtesy of Reddit user rch09c

There are few things in American cuisine that people love more than loaded potato skins. You can find countless recipes, menu items, and copy cat recipes on the internet. But this is a recipe that should be wiped from humanity. This restaurant said, “We should just do the very bare minimum.” And then threw a slice of cheese on there with some bacon bits.

It looks so gross. It reminds me of those desperate days in college when you just threw together whatever was left in your cabinet. This is as bad as microwaving tortilla chips with shredded cheese. You could make a way better loaded potato skin recipe at home. We’ll make it easy on you, here’s a list of recipes to get you started.

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Avoid the Metal Straws in Restaurants…

Really conflicted about environment vs. health here. Shutterstock.

With environmental issues needing to take precedent over many other issues, there’s a debate about what type of straw is the most environmentally friendly. Paper, plastic, metal, silicon, etc. It turns out that paper and plastic are probably the worst options for many reasons. But this story makes us just want to bring our own metal straws to the restaurant.

Just because regular paper is biodegradable, doesn’t mean that paper straws are biodegradable. The term biodegradable can actually have different definitions, and can sometimes be misleading. To be considered “biodegradable,” the carbon material of a product has to break down by only 60% after 180 days. In real world situations, the paper could last a lot longer than 180 days (but will still disappear faster than plastic, of course). And another issue is that while you may be able to “recycle” paper straws, paper recycling facilities will not take items that have food residue or waste on them. Which means they can’t accept straws.

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I’ll have my pizza with a slice of mouse, please

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/5_Frog_Margin

Personally, we find mice and other rodents to be adorable. They’re fuzzy, they scuttle all over the place, they leave droppings everywhere. What’s not to love? Heck, you can even have them on pizza! According to this next photo, anyways. This mouse just wanted to enjoy a bit of pizza. What’s so wrong with that? Okay, okay, we’ll cut it out and get into why this actually is a huge health and safety issue.

In two papers published in the journal mBio, the researchers report the results from testing of 416 mice from seven sites. One analysis found that mice carry a variety of viruses, although none of the viruses are linked to human disease. But the other study found a wide range of bacteria that are known to cause sickness in humans. These included the culprits in sometime serious intestinal infections: E. coli, shigella, salmonella and Clostridium difficile.

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Toilet

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/dagolicious

Well, the only reason I go to restaurants is to pee on the floor. So if I saw this sign, I would immediately leave. I jest, I jest. I would probably turn around and not touch anything near that bathroom if I knew that people were peeing on the floor. That leads to so many concerns, it’s almost hard to list.

Honestly, in a situation like this, you kind of want to not go to restaurants because of the general public, not just the restaurant. At the end of the day, when you go out to restaurants, you’re not only opening yourself up to the mercy of the restaurant staff… You have to contend with other people’s personal hygiene habits. When you think of it that way, it’s hard to want to go out in public at all.

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How to use a toilet

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/KilgoreTroutsAnus/

Apparently, it’s really difficult for people to know how to use a toilet. Listen, I know plenty of kindergarten teachers who have to teach kids to use a toilet. It can be hard when you’re a newly formed human. But we’re going to assume that these are adults that are committing these heinous toilet acts.

Accidents happen. You would be hard pressed to find somebody who didn’t have some horror story about their public bathroom experience. But if this is a regular occurrence and you’re not notifying restaurant staff, that’s pretty irresponsible. If you have an accident like this, it’s okay. But it’s not okay to not notify somebody just because you’re embarrassed.

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The most honest restaurant sign

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/motheroftheworld90

It’s safe to say that the restaurant owner was in the right for closing the kitchen down during that shift. However, we will say that it’s probably best if they shut down the entire kitchen for a thorough cleaning. We aren’t sure what drugs were being done in the kitchen… but it definitely raises concerns about whether or not food and surfaces could be contaminated. Of course, they also permit smoking in the restaurant. Which raises concerns about all other kinds of health concerns.

So the signs shown here show all sorts of problems. Smoking in restaurants should definitely be prohibited for the health of the public, but more specifically, it really exposes servers and staff to second hand smoke. In fact, they are exposed to the same carcinogens as active smokers. A study found that exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease in non-smokers by 30 per cent.

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French Fries with Ketchup, hold the Fingernails

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/gump69/

First of all, we’ve located the first problem: this guy ordered French fries from Taco Bell. That’s probably not great. Secondly, yup, there’s a fingernail in it. Fingernails are a huge germ carrier. According to the CDC, because of their length, longer fingernails can harbor more dirt and bacteria than short nails, thus potentially contributing to the spread of infection. To help prevent the spread of germs and nail infections: Keep nails short and trim them often.

According to the 2017 FDA Food Code, the food employee may wear artificial nails or fingernail polish ONLY IF they also wear gloves that are clean and in good condition. Although, it is a best practice to forgo the nails and polish or check your company policy.

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Just taking a break?

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/Mimsyss02

Oh boy. Let’s just all agree to stay home and not touch anything strangers touch ever again. This article is enough to make you a shut in! And I take full responsibility for that. I’m sure that in the comfort of our own homes, we all let loose and do things we wouldn’t normally do in public… but this is too much. This is really too much. And I don’t know if he washes his hands properly. Chances are, if his hands are down his pants in the back of a food truck, I’m going to feel safe assuming he doesn’t. It doesn’t matter if he’s itchy. This is a huge issue.

And this, by itself, is a health concern. The most common causes of itchy testicles are irritation and fungal infections from poor hygiene or excess sweating. Regularly bathing and applying lotion and powder can prevent most cases. The itchiness can also be caused by STDs like genital herpes, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.

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Trash cans are not food prep surfaces

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/beaverkc

Let’s say it all together again: “Trash cans are not food prep surfaces.” Very good, class. What compels a food worker to just set their tray on a trash can? Everybody should be sanitizing their trash cans. But even if they bleach that thing twice a day, they’re actively using the trash can. But what grows on them?

The most common bacteria living on your garbage bin are E. Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella. Salmonella is bacteria that is usually found in raw meat, uncooked poultry or in eggs. Those poisoned can experience side effects such as fever, headaches, diarrhea, and nausea. So imagine putting food that’s going to be served on a trash can. That’s likely a perfect storm for food poisoning.

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Nothing says fancy plating like a chocolate hand print

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/pabloiswatchingyou

As people experiment with different ways to plate their culinary creations, people may try some pretty wacky things. We are going to just say it clearly now: If you leave a chocolate hand print or finger print on a plate as a decoration… nobody is going to want to eat it. You’re reminding them that somebody else’s bare hand has touched their food. It’s really not appetizing.

Let’s remind ourselves of why hand washing is such a big deal. Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands. Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.

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Gingerbreads or Taco Bell Meat?

How Taco Bell Meat starts off. Buzzfeed.

It seems pretty safe to say that most people realize that fast food meat in general is not the best. Yet, knowing this doesn’t seem to scare people away. Most people take the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to their food origins. Because there are some pretty disturbing things that goes into meat processing for mass production.

Actually, Taco Bell has been constantly under fire for the quality of meat they serve. Going so far as to be involved in multiple class action law suits over it. According to a suit filed by the Alabama law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, the YUM-brands owned chain is using a meat mixture that contains binders and extenders, and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as “beef.”

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A tasty tub of raw chicken tenders

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/coldfeet45

According to the CDC, Americans eat more chicken every year than any other meat. This means that many restaurants are going to offer chicken in various forms. One of these forms apparently consists of preparing raw chicken in monstrous ways. As seen in the image, this restaurant said, “to hell with normal cookware” and opted for a plastic storage bin… or trash can? We aren’t sure but it doesn’t look good.

Raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonellaand Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you eat undercooked chicken or other foods or beverages contaminated by raw chicken or its juices, you can get a foodborne illness, which is also called food poisoning. And from the looks of this behind the scenes, it looks like not much care is being taken when preparing the chicken properly.

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Nobody could tell the difference!

Cat food? yuck. Buzzfeed.

Let’s get the big question out of the way: Can humans eat cat food? No. Cat food is not fit for human consumption. This lady may think she’s getting away with something, but we bet it’s only a matter of time before this restaurant is hit with a big lawsuit. There are a few reasons why cat food is not okay to eat.

Cat food is strictly for cats. This means it’s not meant to be used as a dog food substitute or a replacement for human food. Cat food is packed with proteins and other nutrients that fit their carnivorous diet. It also has an abundance of Vitamin A. Vitamin A can be dangerous for humans. Cat food is absolutely filled with Vitamin A, to the point that the levels may be toxic for humans. You won’t feel it right away, but it will be fatal if you keep consuming it in the long run. The most common side effects of Vitamin A toxicity in humans are nausea, vomiting, headaches, irritability, and blurred eyesight.

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It’s bath time.

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/questionmarkjohndoe

Humans are gross. We aren’t sure why he felt the need to bathe in the kitchen sink. But he did, and here we are. Thankfully, he was fired for this gross misconduct (literally). Sinks are not a super clean place to begin with. With dishes in and out, food being prepared, and other sink things – this only adds to why this sink is probably not sanitary.

Food particles from plates left to soak or rinsed from dishes on their way to the dishwasher can serve as a breeding ground for illness-causing bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. They can get on your hands or spread to foods. And now you can add a naked human body to the list. Let’s hope they bleached this sink 10 times.

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This person should have been arrested.

Image courtesy of Reddit/ user unknown

Why, why, WHY?! Restaurant workers have been caught doing some pretty disgusting things, but this one is the final straw. We’ve all heard of restaurant staff seeking revenge on staff and doing some gross things to food… but we can’t imagine what somebody could have done to warrant this disgusting image.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to monitor staff at all times. So management probably is unaware of this behavior. If they were aware, we’re sure this person would be immediately fired. It’s hard to believe there are people in the world that would do something so horrid.

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Clip your nails at home, please.

Image courtesy of izismile.com

We’ve established that an important part of hand hygiene is keeping your nails clean and short. But when we said that, we meant you need to do that in the privacy of your own home. Apparently, this Subway employee couldn’t wait to get home before taking the nail clippers out.

Sure, they might be hanging out on their break and attending to their nail needs. But you should at least go to the bathroom to get this done. They’re so close to the food. And when you’re clipping your nails, a stray nail can sometimes act like a rocket going into orbit. Those suckers can end up anywhere!

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How NOT to thaw chicken.

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/madfighter1359

People might think that the warmer the temperature, the faster food will thaw. While, technically, this is true, it’s a horrible idea for food safety. Frozen chicken should never be thawed on the counter at room temperature or in a bowl of hot water. 1 Leaving chicken to defrost on the counter or submerging it in hot water can cause bacterial growth and could make those who eat it sick. That being said, we are absolutely certain that thawing outside in the sun is a horrible idea.

When frozen food gets warmer than 40 degrees or is at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it’s in the danger zone where bacteria multiply quickly. First of all, never defrost chicken on the counter or the microwave. It’s not uncommon to see various sources suggesting that it’s acceptable to thaw frozen meat or poultry in the microwave. But it’s not. Ever. Even if your microwave has a defrost setting on it.

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Back into the pants

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/Kirky37

Why can’t people keep their hands out of their pants? This seems to be a more prominent issue for men. According to one source, guys subconsciously default to this position when they relax because they feel more at ease with their essential organs out of harm’s way. “You could think of the hand there like insurance against a friend who might give them a nut jab or a kid who accidentally hits a ball at them,” says Van Edwards.

Well, this guy is too relaxed. Don’t ever put your hand in your pants whether you’re working or just out in public in general. Taco Bell is on this list an alarming amount of times. And there are multiple accounts of weird Taco Bell experiences. This former employee had an interesting story: “Craziest experience I guess is when I was working high as this was like the 2nd time I ever got high and I got VERY high. It felt like a video game I could see my hands moving and making tacos and stuff but I couldn’t feel it. Then id have to take an order or hand an order out and it was so crazy trying to keep a straight face but somehow I did it. Even high, I still worked better than everyone else though. Another time, some of the managers were arguing and one of them punched the heating cabinets multiple times and left dents in them and kept her job.”

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You can TICK this one off the list

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/Metallic_Mayhem

You never want to find a bug in or around your food. But there are few insects that insight fear like a tick. And for good reason. There’s a long list of diseases that you can get from a tick bite, including some that can actually kill you. In fact, the tiny bloodsucking critters can transmit a wider variety of bacteria, viruses and parasites than any other arthropod, a category that includes not only ticks but also insects such as mosquitoes.

More than 80 species of ticks are found in the United States, and about a dozen of these species can bite humans and are considered medically important, said Rebecca Eisen, a research biologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in Fort Collins, Colorado

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Subway strikes again

Image courtesy of buzzfeed.com/mikespohr

It seems like Taco Bell and Subway compete for the top “Disgusting Restaurant” spot. And these competitors fight hard. This Subway employee can be seen climbing barefoot on the countertop. This shot was snapped by a waiting customer and they are disturbed – for good reason! And while it seems like they thought the polite thing to do was take their shoes off before climbing on the counter, bare feet actually have a lot more bacteria than you might think.

Most dirt that does get on your feet gets brushed off in a few steps. And unlike the moist, dark, hot, anaerobic environment inside a shoe (a perfect breeding ground for bacteria), bare feet are exposed to ultraviolet light, oxygen and moving air, so they stay clean and dry. But that’s assuming you’ve had them off for a while. She probably slipped these off right before climbing on top of here. So that’s some fresh bacteria for you.

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Hepatitis A in Restaurants is an issue

Image courtesy of Reddit

Restaurant food is a common source of the hepatitis A virus (HAV), a highly infectious virus that affects the liver. In fact, outbreaks of HAV infection linked to restaurants have been on the rise in recent years. We suppose this restaurant has the right idea behind trying to fix this issue… but it’s a rather large turn off to think about burgers and Hep A all at once.

Hepatitis A is a viral liver disease that can cause mild to severe illness. The hepatitis A virus is transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food and water or through direct contact with an infectious person. You are most contagious soon after you are infected. Adults who are otherwise healthy are no longer contagious two weeks after the illness begins. Children and people with weak immune systems may be contagious for up to six months.

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One Overdose and you’re out

Image courtesy of Vkmag

Well, we know that people struggle with drug addictions, but it seems like the issue has gone to new heights. If overdoses are so common at this location that the restaurant had to put up a sign limiting it to “one overdose” per customer, we think it’s time for a social intervention.

Of course, it seems more likely that the restaurant just didn’t proofread their sign before putting it up. Which is important when you’re delivering messages to the public. It’s a pretty funny mistake as long as you’re not somebody who struggles with addiction or has lost a loved one to overdose.

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Sludge anybody?

Image courtesy of reddit.com/user/alexbrobrafeld

Whatever they’re pouring seems like an environmental disaster waiting to happen. And if the production of their food produces such a disgusting looking sludge waste… we don’t think we’d be too tempted to eat there. But it turns out that this sludge isn’t the only environmental risk that comes from the restaurant industry.

There are a number of activities conducted at restaurants that could increase the potential for environmental exposures. One of those activities includes the disposal of food, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ends up in landfills and incinerators, affecting local air and water quality.

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Ice isn’t safe either…

Ice machines are a bigger health threat than people realize. Shutterstock.

The Nation Restaruant Association (the company that supplies Serv Safe the industry standard sanitation certification tests) lists ice as the most potentially dangerous food for the danger of spreading food borne illness because of neglect of cleaning ice machines and that nobody thinks of ice as food so people are more lax about preventative measures (like scooping the ice with the cup which occasionally has ungloved, possibly gloved hands touching the ice, dropping the ice scoop and using it without sanitizing it, etc.).

That being said ice is still rather safe as ice is constantly at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) which is detrimental to bacterial growth and as far as physical contaminants remember that ice is water which is used as a cleaning agent (or mixed with cleaning agents) and is still relatively safe.

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Do NOT return unused Sauce, thank you

Image courtesy of Reddit user ucmchris

Salsa bars and other buffet style food set ups may become a thing of the past. With the COVID pandemic ongoing, it seems as though these can be catalysts for many viruses. But even if there wasn’t a tragic, worldwide pandemic going on, we would still consider ditching buffets and salsa bars after this sign.

The idea of people collecting their own salsa is bad enough. But adding the fact that this restaurant is encouraging people to restore their contaminated food back to the bar is stomach turning. But don’t take our word for it. The FDA put out this statement: “In communities with sustained transmission of COVID-19, state and local health authorities have implemented social-distancing measures which discourage or prohibit dining in congregate settings. We also recommend discontinuing self-service buffets and salad bars until these measures are lifted.”

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“Eat Here, Get Gas & Worms”

Image courtesy of BuzzFeed user wolverinefan24

To be fair, they warned us. Obviously this is a hilarious printing mistake. They should definitely not list all of these things together. While we’re on the topic of worms, let’s see how you can actually get parasites. The prevalence of specific parasites in food supplies varies between countries and regions. Sources of food-borne products contaminated with parasites are pigs, cattle, fish, crabs, crayfish, snails, frogs, snakes and aquatic plants.

Of course, word placement mistake or not… we’re not entirely sure it’s a great idea to eat from a place that sells gas and worms alongside food. Of course, if you live in a more rural setting, this might not seem so strange. But it’s your call!

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