Supermacs: Staff picked food off the floor and tried to serve me

the culture of deference

Supermacs: Staff picked food off the floor and tried to serve me
Has this happened to anyone.

Staff member dropped the box of chicken on the floor in front of grill, bent down picked it up and moved away. Another staff member came over with a bag and 1st staff person but the food into a bag. They passed the food to the superV and she went to serve me the meal. I explained what had happened was refunded and left without the food.

I phoned the head office and they wanted to know what the issue was. I explained that the staff tried serving it to me after it fell on the floor, head office had no issue as I didn't accept the food.

why did you go to SuperMuck in the first place?

Morph the Cat

urbanledge wrote: »

why did you go to SuperMuck in the first place?

How is that relevant? :rolleyes:

lkionm

Well you didnt accept the food and only the first person knew it fell on the ground

If it was only the box that fell on the ground I doubt he would have cared but probably if the supervisor saw, they would have just made a new one.
Its more just staff being lazy really, would probably be different if the chips touched the floor.

I would have just asked for a new one though. I dont think there was a need letting head office know since you told the supervisor and they did all they can do to please you, refund or a new one.

dudara

Report the outlet to your local Environmental Health Officer - hit them where it hurts

daheff

lkionm wrote: »

I dont think there was a need letting head office know since you told the supervisor and they did all they can do to please you, refund or a new one.

No. OP you should have told the food safety people.

lkionm

daheff wrote: »

No. OP you should have told the food safety people.

I'm not OP.


Ok yeah, health and safety lads come in but unless the place is filthy in the kitchen and they have all their daily paperwork filled in nothing will happen, even if the paperwork is lies.

Unless it happens while they are there doing their check, there isnt much they can do. Cant exactly shut a place down for a few days because of a rumour

daheff

lkionm wrote: »

I'm not OP.

Never said you were the OP.

lkionm wrote: »

Ok yeah, health and safety lads come in but unless the place is filthy in the kitchen and they have all their daily paperwork filled in nothing will happen, even if the paperwork is lies.

Unless it happens while they are there doing their check, there isnt much they can do. Cant exactly shut a place down for a few days because of a rumour

Nobodys asking for them to be shut down. Also they can request to see the CC footage for that day...that will show whats happened (although they've probably deleted it!).

lkionm

daheff wrote: »

Nobodys asking for them to be shut down. Also they can request to see the CC footage for that day...that will show whats happened (although they've probably deleted it!).

Ah, forgot about the cctv if they had it pointing at the grills/chips

It's still weird how someone didnt just make a new one. it takes about 30 seconds.

Having worked with a good number of people over the years, it will never surprise you the level of incompetence and lack of common sense in some people when they try do someone fast to save a few seconds.
The guy who dropped it wouldnt like it if it was the other way around.

the culture of deference

lkionm wrote: »

Well you didnt accept the food and only the first person knew it fell on the ground

If it was only the box that fell on the ground I doubt he would have cared but probably if the supervisor saw, they would have just made a new one.
Its more just staff being lazy really, would probably be different if the chips touched the floor.

I would have just asked for a new one though. I dont think there was a need letting head office know since you told the supervisor and they did all they can do to please you, refund or a new one.

The box was on the floor for a few minutes, it contained 5 pieces of chicken. I though it was rubbish until the staff member picked it up and put it in the bag with the rest of the food.

dudara wrote: »

Report the outlet to your local Environmental Health Officer - hit them where it hurts

I have reported it FSA.

I left my mobile number with the head office and I was assured someone would call me back.

Yamanoto

I don't get the appeal of Supermacs at all - it's like the culinary wing of the GAA.

the culture of deference

Yamanoto wrote: »

I don't get the appeal of Supermacs at all - it's like the culinary wing of the GAA.

Well this has certainly cured me of fast food places in general, the funny thing is after this happened I went to Burger king as I use to like the angus steak burger with the g'tee that its a STEAK burger, and guess what ...... they were taken off the market because of the horse meat scandal.

sandin

Did the box fall and just the box touching the floor or did all the food spill out with the actual food touching the floor.?

It is bad form anyway, but thankfully that type of incident is very very rare in Ireland as our hygeine regualtions are extremely strict.

Howver ringing a receptionist in Supermacs is not what to do - write a letter to them and explain exactly what happened along with the branch, day & time. - At the very least they will probably get someone down there to discuss it with staff.

However in terms of HSE / etc - difficult to see what they can do as you did not accept the food and did not consume it and its your word against one single employee's.

JustAThought

Eddie Rockets South Anne Street - RAW chicken in an open container in with the salad bar. Middle eastern guy serving cheese, salad, raw chicken all with the same hand . Horrorified.
Took a great video & decided to be nice & say it to the staff.. He May be new, not have had the same advantages etc. Staff didn't give a f. Two big louts came out if the kitchen & stared me down. I watched as I chomped my chips & finished my milkshake. Twenty minutes later Eddie Rockets chef guy still serving raw chicken & making BLTs & salads with the same hand. Asked for the manager. & complained to him. He apologised but let it continue.
For the Craic stayed another 10 minutes or so & watched. - the kept at it - still no intervention from the manager. I Left & rang the food safety people. They were interested. & wanted to get the video - no problem I said. bTW what will happen to them - o nothing she said - we will advise them on food handling. Em - no fine, or warning? O no - of course not - not at all said food safety woman. So I asked - what would you have to go to get a fine or warning - o she said it would have to be something major like fridges breaking down or not working? Wtf.

So the food safety people have government agencies & investigators, run massive ads on TV at costs of millions per year, employ hundreds of people & yet for raw chicken being kept & served from an open salad bar with the same hand that takes bread & makes toasted sandwiches & puts raw chickeney cheese onto salads & chips there is no negative outcome for the company by this state protection & regulation agency.

Makes you wonder. No consequences no cleanliness. Might as well give them all their P45 & save the state a few hundered of million.

sandin

what would you prefer - a small fine and tell them to be on their way or have them properly trained into handling food in the future.

How it works is if there is proof of wrongdoing the place is put on a watch list. they can be visited any time fo day or night. If breaches are found the place can be closed down on he spot.

A person on the phone won't give you the full info, but a read through their quarterly reports will show you that they have teeth and they use their powers of closure frequently enough.

Greenmachine

sandin wrote: »

what would you prefer - a small fine and tell them to be on their way or have them properly trained into handling food in the future.

How it works is if there is proof of wrongdoing the place is put on a watch list. they can be visited any time fo day or night. If breaches are found the place can be closed down on he spot.

A person on the phone won't give you the full info, but a read through their quarterly reports will show you that they have teeth and they use their powers of closure frequently enough.

I would say not nearly enough. Whenever I have read reports on places have closed the failure list is as long as your arm. It should be much easier to close down a place. Standards should be much higher.

the culture of deference

sandin wrote: »

Did the box fall and just the box touching the floor or did all the food spill out with the actual food touching the floor.?

I ordered the food and went to the local shop next door.

When I came back in to SM the box was on the floor in front of the fryer and it stayed there until a staff member picked it up to put in my bag. 2 staff members defo seen it and at least 1 manager.

I phoned Supermacs head office and spoke to the manager and left my details, the owner of the store has phoned me all nicey nicey until I told him I contacted FSA.

PeteK*

I really think that staff member should be let go or at least suspended without pay for ages!
I bet they wouldn't eat the food if they dropped their own meal on the floor.

I was in a shop yesterday, for a chicken fillet roll.
The girl was wearing gloves but as I asked for my food, she was rubbing her face.
I felt bad asking, but I did ask her to change her gloves.
I don't think she realised why I asked, but she wasn't rude about it or anything.

JustAThought

sandin wrote: »

what would you prefer - a small fine and tell them to be on their way or have them properly trained into handling food in the future.

How it works is if there is proof of wrongdoing the place is put on a watch list. they can be visited any time fo day or night. If breaches are found the place can be closed down on he spot.

A person on the phone won't give you the full info, but a read through their quarterly reports will show you that they have teeth and they use their powers of closure frequently enough.

As some other poster said / not good enough. My old boss ( self employed) got salmonella from a half cooked chicken & she was ill & out of work for weeks - we all saw her struggle. If I'd got sick from Eddie Rockets dirty food practices and had to take time off work I wouldn't get paid. And yet they can just shrug their shoulders & not give a hoot . if there are no consequences for them which there clearly aren't they will just continue - which they did- they just didn't care. Just like the woman I reported it to who confirmed there would be no fine or real negative consequence. I'd hate to see how filthy or unhygienic their storage or out of sight work practices are if this is how they flaunt their dirty work practices in full extended sight if all their customers at the counter watching it go on.


And Yes - when an obviously food contamination but handy time saving shortcut is being used and puts my health at immediate risk , I would rather that the place be fined and heavily. Or shut down for a day to clean the dirty fridge & food area out, throw out all food and scrub areas affected, and do immediate training with the staff. Do you think head office will notice when a days takings is lost? I think so. And possibly when this keeps happening. Maybe this will focus them to pay attention to slovenly staff and management leactices & to pay attention to protecting by observing basic food hygiene their customers health. After all, we are giving them our money ; the least we expect is safe, hygenic, not contaminated food prep.

There are enough radio & TV ads on it; the food place , kitchen & toilets are festooned with health & safety signs and staff also have to do training. Why should I pay or have to put up with their dirty unsafe food poisoning habits. And when the dole Q's are full why should this be facilitated and supported? And why should I have to underwrite an government funded restaurant hygene regulation organisation and all its for-life staff with my taxes who don't give a hoot either?

NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Miguel_Sanchez

This happened to me in Supermac's in Mayo years ago. Chips dropped on the floor, staff member picked them up and tried to serve them to me. Denied dropping them even though it had happened right in front of me. Nice to see they're maintaining standards of staff training.

UDP

Miguel_Sanchez wrote: »

This happened to me in Supermac's in Mayo years ago. Chips dropped on the floor, staff member picked them up and tried to serve them to me. Denied dropping them even though it had happened right in front of me. Nice to see they're maintaining standards of staff training.

can you really train someone to not be stupid?

noddyone2

the culture of deference wrote: »

Supermacs: Staff picked food off the floor and tried to serve me
Has this happened to anyone.

Staff member dropped the box of chicken on the floor in front of grill, bent down picked it up and moved away. Another staff member came over with a bag and 1st staff person but the food into a bag. They passed the food to the superV and she went to serve me the meal. I explained what had happened was refunded and left without the food.

I phoned the head office and they wanted to know what the issue was. I explained that the staff tried serving it to me after it fell on the floor, head office had no issue as I didn't accept the food.

Why would ANYONE go to Supermacs?

pleasant Co.

noddyone2 wrote: »

Why would ANYONE go to Supermacs?

If you're having such great difficulty coming up with a reason just imagine supermacs is one of the equally comparable muck joints such as mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, and then address the OP's issue. simples.

schemingbohemia

Sorry OP but what remedy/solution are you seeking? You've brought it to both the FSA and Supermac's management, I'm struggling to find out why you've posted this information. The food at no time was actually touching an unhygenic surface - it was in a bag placed on the floor, that is not, necessarily, unhygenic.

lkionm

Was the box in a bag or did the box touch the floor and you are being pedantic.

Probably behind the counter is cleaner than the tables and floor, less foot traffic for one reason.

noddyone2

pleasant Co. wrote: »

If you're having such great difficulty coming up with a reason just imagine supermacs is one of the equally comparable muck joints such as mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, and then address the OP's issue. simples.

Not having any 'great difficulty', Just wondering why people eat their stuff. Chill out missus.

lkionm

noddyone2 wrote: »

Not having any 'great difficulty', Just wondering why people eat their stuff. Chill out missus.

I reckon hunger is the main reason.

pleasant Co.

noddyone2 wrote: »

Not having any 'great difficulty', Just wondering why people eat their stuff. Chill out missus.

Re-read my post with a chilled voice, problem solved lady.

07734

but sure if it was on the floor for less than 5 seconds it's all alright

foggy_lad

07734 wrote: »

but sure if it was on the floor for less than 5 seconds it's all alright

I thought it was 15seconds:D

uck51js9zml2yt

07734 wrote: »

but sure if it was on the floor for less than 5 seconds it's all alright

the 5 second rule..hmmm:rolleyes:

When i worked in a certain fast food joint on the corner of Westmoreland street in the 90's we used regularly unblock toilets and then go up and cook some burgers.

schemingbohemia

I'm still trying to figure out what the OP's exact problem is? S/HE didn't purchase the items in question because s/he felt that being on the floor in a box wasn't safe, s/he was given his/her money back. What's the consumer issue?

jordainius

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I'm still trying to figure out what the OP's exact problem is? S/HE didn't purchase the items in question because s/he felt that being on the floor in a box wasn't safe, s/he was given his/her money back. What's the consumer issue?

Quite obviously; the OP is referring to the questionable hygeine standards of this particular Supermacs outlet he/she visited. It is an understandable reaction for a customer to be somewhat unpleased if a restaurant attempts to serve said customer food that has been on a floor (regardless of whether or not the food was in a box), therein lies the (rather obvious) consumer issue.

the culture of deference

jordainius wrote: »

Quite obviously; the OP is referring to the questionable hygeine standards of this particular Supermacs outlet he/she visited. It is an understandable reaction for a customer to be somewhat unpleased if a restaurant attempts to serve said customer food that has been on a floor (regardless of whether or not the food was in a box), therein lies the (rather obvious) consumer issue.

This exactly.

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I'm still trying to figure out what the OP's exact problem is? S/HE didn't purchase the items in question because s/he felt that being on the floor in a box wasn't safe, s/he was given his/her money back. What's the consumer issue?

Are you the manager of a supermac's store by any chance. A business that serves food to the public needs to have some level of training with basic hygiene

The manager on the night wanted to know what the issue was as I had received a refund. She stood in front of me looking confused as to why I hadn't just left. The manager in their head office wanted to know what the issue was as I had received a refund. They seemed to be oblivious to any issues of serving customers food from the floor.

The box was the 5 strips meal, thats what was on the ground for at least 3 minutes with 4 or 5 staff walking around it, directly infront of the main fryer, it must have fallen off when they were getting the order ready. The staff member picked it up and handed it to another staff and they moved to the side and bagged it and then put that bag into my bag, one of the supervisor s watched them and the 3 were talking.

The shop is laid out like this one, you can see the fryer behind the pillar on the right.

D3sperado

During college I worked in the bar of a 4 star hotel collecting glasses etc. The place did a great trade in sandwiches, especially during the weekends if there was football on the tv.

I was working one sunday afternoon and a couple of people had rang in sick so i was helping out behind the bar rather than just clearing glasses. A couple of sandwich orders came in and i offered to make them, off i went to the kitchen area, washed my hands and asked some of the other barmen where the box of disposible gloves were. They all started laughing and looking at me like I was crazy, including the bar manager who also there :rolleyes:

I subsequently found out that not only did the majority of bar staff there not use gloves while making sandwiches they usually didn't even bother washing their hands :eek: It still makes me sick thinking about it even now....

dudara

This isn't meant to be a thread of recollections. I think it has ran its course.

dudara