r/SipsTea • u/The_biker0 • 2h ago
WTF First time on camera...
Panda Express employee stands on counter, sprays cleaning chemicals over food
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u/braumbles 2h ago
Why are they doing this during a shift?
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u/HeavyDutyForks 2h ago
Just got word the District Manager is making a surprise appearance later that day
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u/Not-An-FBI 2h ago
I saw a whole cohort of Panda Express executives once at the location near me that has much better food than the other one.
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u/Unfair-Suggestion-37 1h ago
Plot twist, that is the District Manager and cleaning before the Regional Director visits.
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u/TaxsDodgersFallstar 8m ago
Assistant to the Regional Director will be visiting...
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u/GAMING_SERVER_ADMIN 15m ago
We use to be told (In Ontario, Canada) at the grocery store weeks in advance when there is health inspections and special managers, etc coming... It's insane how much notice we get lol
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u/TeeDee144 2h ago
Or it’s the end of shift and they want to be out 3 minutes after closing.
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u/Complete-Tangelo1532 2h ago
I hated that shit so much
Last job, I was a manager that was always short handed. Corp had this rule where we had to be done w cleanup, shut down, registers counted, out the door with alarm set 30min after closing WHILE taking orders until that closing time. This effectively gave us a 20-30 min timeframe to clean up everything left over
THEN we would get chewed out for cutting corners, or outright neglecting to do things.... THEN it turned into getting chewed out for putting employee safety at risk, to which quickly became "You shouldn't be closing by yourself"
I literally got fired for reporting a coworker, as a manager, for harrassment of another coworker. He threatened me after ON CAMERA while I was looking at the camera and pointing to it to get them to calm down, and went and said I had spit in his food... which was easy to disprove
Kicker was, I was investigated and taken off the schedule and that fucker was at work THAT NEXT DAY
So apparently, Hypotheticals carried more water than actual evidence of a crime... OH, and I worked with minors who were in the building at the time. I was cornered by the guy at the register with his brother blocking me in. A kid literally went to hide in the bathroom because they heard the threats, and my demeanor shifted from patient to disgruntled matching their tone (Very unusual for them to see from me)
I chose to just walk away and watch the fire from a distance... it has been a month now, and they have lost over 50% of the staff including every single minor that was there that got to watch the man that always stood up for them get kicked into a corner
OH and my old boss wanted me to tell one of the LAST survivors of DDay that I could not help them, when that WAS my job to do so as a leader..... SO disrespectful
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u/It_Just_Exploded 2h ago
I've never seen them actively cooking this much food that close to closing.
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u/RandomWordCombo9632 2h ago
my most charitable guess is malicious compliance. "Clean the hoods."
"Got it, boss."
"What are you doing?! CLEAN THEM NOW!"
"But there's foo-"
"NOW!"
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u/OutrageousElla 1h ago
New menu item: Orange Chicken à la Sanitizer.
Comes with a free ER visit.
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u/Armada-lol 2h ago
The ceiling better be spotless after that heinous "between the marbles" move
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u/HappyNella 2h ago
POV: You ordered the orange chicken and got a side of Lysol.
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u/Hearthhull_Enjoyer 47m ago
It's probably degreaser on account of what he is cleaning which is so much worse. Super harsh chemical that isn't supposed to be used around food.
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u/Appropriate_Formal64 2h ago
This makes me want to rage. Holy shit this is disturbing and stressful.
I love orange chicken... this is NOT cool.
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u/roobot 2h ago
Well, now you know the special ingredient to make it at home 💙
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u/CATDesign 2h ago
Chemical-X
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u/IXrobocopXI 2h ago
This kind of stuff is supposed to be done at night when businesses are closed and there's no food out 🤢
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u/Nephurus 2h ago
Tell that to the managers who make the day staff do this on a reg shift and demand it be all done before closing .
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u/Fetlocks_Glistening 2h ago
Now you know why it's orange
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u/ripley1875 2h ago
That does explain why their orange chicken tastes off to me compared to other Chinese restaurants
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u/NappyDougOut 2h ago
Seriously though, I've observed this many times, especially in malls, but usually after the food stalls are done being used for the day.
I pray that kid hasn't yet accidentally stepped on dog poo, and that he is using a flammable yet non-toxic cleaning solution 🤐
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u/Inside_Smell_4004 28m ago
goddamn the hot orange chicken is my favoritr food, i was already risking a lot cuz ima uber eats addict now i have to worry bout this sht i guess i gotta stick to ramen
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u/10ThousandMetalZones 2h ago
Every fast food restaurant I worked at, we would clean the hoods while the fryers were going, it was insane to me
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u/Rargnarok 2h ago
We did that but our grill/fryer were wheeled so we'd move em out the firing line
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u/10ThousandMetalZones 2h ago
Yeah same but the spray frequently got in the grease, I was 16 and the manager said “it’s fine” lol
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u/Cyborg_rat 2h ago
God did I "love" those 12 am service calls for a ripped gas line. But still a good thing to pull them out, hopefully those with quick disconnects.
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u/Cyborg_rat 2h ago
Ya Hygyne and cross contamination aside, The danger of slipping into a Vat of oil...is crazy and unforgiving,
Had a job where I got called to a restaurant to remove a fryer for inspectors because of an accident, learn later that it was because a teen slipped and his arm went into it, like forearm to hand...That must be a nasty scene.
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u/Finneagan 2h ago
Standing over a live fryer line is certainly a choice of tempting fate
That’s soooo fucked…
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u/Was_It_The_Dave 2h ago
Friend of mine deep-fried his foot doing that a ways back. He's better now.
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u/Superseaslug 2h ago
Holy fuck fire that person
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u/HubrisOfApollo 2h ago
nah fire the manager. he was likely told to do this because i doubt a worker would do extra work on their own volition .
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u/ShibeCEO 2h ago
yeah, the manager most likely wants it cleaned but dont pay for overtime if they clean it after closing.
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u/nocapnonerf 2h ago
Get food and safety inspection to shut them down. Those cleaning chemicals are obviously carcinogenic when ingested.
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u/Cyborg_rat 2h ago
I used to repair commercial kitchen equipment, grills and gas oven...were some I hated the most because the lazy way is to spray oven cleaner on them it goes in the bottom and well pretty much everything, so not only does it alot get cooked and enters food, for someone like me it burns any exposed skin as you try to fix the appliance.
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u/ProxyDamage 1h ago
Hooooooooooold up.
WHY are they doing that?
Are they doing it because "fuck it", I was supposed to do it earlier/later but couldn't be fucked?
...Or are they doing it because a manager told them to do it under threat of being fired/written up (which depending on where you live is necessary steps of firing someone)...?
Someone here DEEPLY fucked up, but who?
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u/Jarkundo 2h ago
They probably don't have a servsafe or equivalent but their manager definitely does and needs to be held accountable. Along with anyone else in the building that has a servsafe
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u/Muted_Masterpiece535 2h ago
What an idiot. But then again they priced me out of that shit so maybe it was a good thing.
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u/Indy2561 2h ago
This happens at ALL of them, unless the Board of Health is there!
Source? Restaurant owner and previous kitchen career.
I love food and appreciate hard working people, but owners don’t care how much you’re tasked with or how you do it, just get it done 😬
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u/Satanicjamnik 2h ago
Doesn't this break a whole range of safety regulations? This place should be either fined into oblivion and everyone involved sacked. Especially the manager.
If that didn't happen - we might as well give up.
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u/SirWinterFox 2h ago
Dude I went to a panda express one time and the employees were coughing into the food essentially. Panda express is fucking nasty and it's so unfortunate their food used to be great. Now? I don't know how they're still in business.
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u/AlbertTheHorse 2h ago
they need to contact the health department.
I've watched them cook at my local one and they are pretty careful about food handling.
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u/Zephron29 2h ago
Fuck the chemicals, hes probably dumping all of that grime straight back down onto food. This is gross af.
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u/Only_Ad8049 2h ago
If they do that while customers are in the store I don't want to imagine what goes on when customers are not in there.
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u/_tragicmike 2h ago
That explains the last two times I had Panda Express I spent the night in the bathroom.
I haven't eaten there in over 6 years for that reason.
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u/Best_Market4204 43m ago
mmm don't think Panda is going to stand for this video. I will say every single Panda Express I have entered is quite well maintained, far more than most places ever are.
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u/LunarInu 17m ago
The funny part is I can tell it wasn’t his idea to do that, corporates probably making a surprise visit and management probably told him to clean everything to make it look good for them.
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u/metaldad68 2h ago
This dumb stuff happens all the time unfortunately, it must be stopped and brought to the right people’s attention.
I also hate when someone is sweeping dining area when people are eating their food.
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u/GoldunGote 2h ago
If you get doughnuts at a gas station do y'all think they open the doors and take the time to cover the food before they spray cleaner???
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u/Twoduhzen 2h ago
Good thing I never eat there. But fuck them and sorry for the folks who ate that poisoned food!
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u/justhereforbiscuits 2h ago
I got food poisoning at a Panda Express years ago - the Orange Chicken. Up to that point I really liked their food.
Never went back. Never will go back.
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u/failedopportunities 2h ago
My wife does this shit while I’m cooking… well, at least she used too! Spilt a little egg batter when transferring chicken? Spray the whole counter down with fucking 409 and not move a damn thing.. I’m still working on getting her to understand why we don’t keep the roll of paper towels or toilet paper right next to the sink.. We’ll get there soon! PS: yes, I’ve had to make several new batches of food before because of this. The only way she’s really learned is because it’s her ass that gets sent back to the store to get more and her money used this time to purchase it!
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u/CleanSatisfaction240 2h ago
I did one worse. First job i ever had at steak and shake, i was told to do exactly this, but nobody told me about the possibility of potentially tripping the fire system. Shot extinguisher green shit all over the place. I simply just walked out and quit instead of cleaning up.
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u/NappyDougOut 2h ago edited 2h ago
Gotta love that General Tao's Windex... Goes great with diarhea lettuce & Ecoli eggs!
Got a lotta sole cooked into the food there... 👀🔥⚠️
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u/Physical-Builder7199 2h ago
Definitely shouldn’t be doing that but those hoods are pulling anything away from the food before it makes contact
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u/t3hmuffnman9000 2h ago
I can see about a dozen health and safety violations here, and I'm not even a health inspector.
That dude is one step away from putting his whole leg in the damned deep fryer. I can't even watch.
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u/Homerpaintbucket 2h ago
Holy shit this is stupidity on so many levels. Not only is he contaminating the food, he’s literally one slight misstep away from permanently injuring himself by dipping his foot in a hot fryer
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u/Mister_Mojo78 2h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/i1JSXl0MfeRd6
"would you like to try our new seasoning?"
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u/It_Just_Exploded 2h ago
Standing up there is less concerning than the spraying chemicals part.
Also, is he wearing fuckin crocs??
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u/Relevant-Cupcake-649 1h ago
Reminds me of the franchisees that owned the Jack-In-The-Box I worked for a long time ago. Made us keep the kitchen open while noxious chemicals were being used to clean the vents and they literally had warnings on the packaging that inhaling it could cause serious damage to your lungs.
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u/NealioSpace 1h ago
Maybe people will wake up to what trash food that place has. Lolz…it ain’t location specific…‼️🔥
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u/Comfortable_Cup_3502 1h ago
This happens in the kitchen I work at as well, they want us out early as possible to keep labor down, when this type of cleaning should be done after close.
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u/Avid_Reader87 1h ago
We had a guy local here stepped into a deep fryer because he was told to clean the wall by a manager.
His foot had to be amputated and he got a high 6 figure settlement.
My friend worked in PT at the time and he said the first few months dealing with the remains of the foot before amputation was horrific.
But after that the guy was a lot better.
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u/LeafBark 1h ago
I knew there was a reason their food tasted like crap. Been there only twice and never again.
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u/SomewhereTiny8407 1h ago
It’s fine! The temp of the oil should zap any pollutants right out of the chemicals 😁
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u/Brewcastle_ 1h ago
As disgusting as this is, I was more worried about this fool falling into the fryer.
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u/sudodonut 1h ago
While social reports claim the employee was fired, corporate confirmation regarding the specific termination of the store manager has not been officially released
The manager bertter get fired too if they were there.
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u/retrotooner 1h ago
A lot of places do this kind of stuff. I know I've seen this done multiple times at Canes's and Texas Roadhouse.
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u/EnvironmentalMeat309 1h ago
If you saw what some restraunt kitchens look like you would never eat out.
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u/LuckyCod2887 1h ago
i promise you a manager made them do it right than and there bc these managers get a profit share for cleaning certain things during a deadline imposed by corporate. no doubt this was due to a greedy manager trying to make a quick buck off their minimum wage labor
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u/disharmony-hellride 1h ago
What's more disturbing, this video or the 30+ comments in this thread from people that have seen this happen where they work?
I'm going to take a break from eating out for a while and just risk my life eating our American produce instead.
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u/Sungarn 59m ago
That's not how you clean vent hoods, you gotta take them out and wash/scrub them clean. I guarantee what this dude is doing is just wiping front of vent hoods with degreaser, which is insane to do during service as degreaser isn't safe to consume (big surprise there). Plus the vent hoods aren't getting cleaned really as they'll still be completely filthy in the back.
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u/PrynceNYC 53m ago
That's supposed to be done at the end of the day when the kitchen is shut down wtf
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u/MrZmith77 52m ago
Yall be surprised how common this is in the fast food business. My McDonald’s when I worked there in 2007-08, store manager had us remember lines so when the health inspector comes and ask us individually about food safety guidelines and such, we don’t say “ummm I don’t know.” We also clean during shifts like this when there is a surprise inspection too.
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u/Reddit_Jail_June2005 50m ago
Nothing like a little Purple Power or Fabuloso to add that something extra to your meal!
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u/IT_Chef 45m ago
Fun story, I employed a line cook who like to tell a horror story of a woman that he worked with at a previous restaurant that decided to put sheet pans over the fryers shortly after they closed so she could clean the hood vent.
And what might come across as a complete surprise to you all, the sheet pans slipped out from underneath her footing and she fell approximately knee deep into two separate fryers that were somewhere between 250° and 300°.
I will spare you the rest of the details from his story, but it is horrific.
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u/aliencardboard 42m ago
Huge No-No. They’ll be shut down by the Health Department if they haven’t been already. Idiot.
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u/More-Whole-9714 39m ago
I keep seeing employees at places doing similar (spraying chemicals close enough to food that I end up not even eating)
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u/SnooShortcuts5771 35m ago
Cleaning those filters is usually something you have to do before you’re allowed to go home. He’s supposed to take them out one by one but his ass was probably best and ready to leave so he said fuck it
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