Restaurant Closed For Contamination
Decorating By indydebi Updated 22 Dec 2006 , 5:15pm by moydear77
There have been a number of discussions on licensed vs. non-licensed and proper food handling. I thought I would share this story that has been going on in Indpls with Olive Garden Restaurants, just as a reminder that licensed or not, when dealing with food, we must all work diligently to maintain proper food handling habits. This was a matter of hand-washing. Not expensive equipment, or special cleaning solutions .... just simple, everyday handwashing. I will add that in watching the news broadcasts and reading the newspaper articles, Olive Garden has been very thorough and upfront with the public on what they are doing to correct this.
The story link is below.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612190442
The hand washing thing is a pet peeve of mine. I don't work in a food industry (cakes are a hobby). I work in an office building with alot of people, most of whom have children my age (late 20's). Some of these women should know better, but there are many of them who go to the restroom and don't wash their hands! it's nasty! When I'm done washing my hands I use my paper towel to open the door, because I don't want to touch what their nasty hands have touched. Makes you think twice about shaking hands in a business setting!
Everyone, please remeber, wash your hands often!!! It can cut back on the number of colds you get, help prevent catching the actual "flu", plus all of the nasty things like e-coli and norovirus.
I'm with you 4dollars- it's a pet peeve of mine, too. I wash my hands all the time when I'm baking or cooking. I go thru gallons of hand lotion!
There's one other woman in my small office (late 40s- old enough to know better!) who never washes her hands after going to the restroom. Then, 9 times out of 10, she goes out to smoke a cigarette right after. Gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about her hands so close to her mouth! 
Proper handwashing is a MUST no matter what industry you are in.
I know that I have to use the facility outside in the hall...and wash my hands there..then come back in my shop and sanitize my hands.
and when I make anything that is going or could be eaten like fondant...the gloves go on!
I keep my hands clean and my nails sort and unpainted!
keep the hair touching to a minimum, wear my scarf or hat and apron!
I tell my daughter everyday that she needs to keep her hands away from her mouth! I volunteer at her school and it is germy place to be!
We have had Taco John's issues up here. E Coli of course! I work as a server UGH! anyway there are signs all over that say wash your hands! They were printed up by the dozens because of this isuue! One of the suppliers for fresh produce for the state has almost figured out what it is.
My daughter had that virus twice in three weeks and I got it the second time. It is not fun!
indydebi, thanks for bringing this up. I get sick to my stomach when I watch someone walk out of a restroom without washing their hands! And I have watched people at a restaurant walk immediately over to the table and start eating. I don't mean to sound nasty... but thats like using your butt as a plate. I don't believe I just said that. Sorry, but I am so bad the other way that my hands crack and bleed from all the handwashing. I refuse to touch something that is going in ANYONES mouth without clean hands.
We heard about that here too. I think it fits into the category of what every kid should know before graduating from High School (Food Safety & Handling) because it's not just the licensed locations, it's also home and work...
One has to wonder if some of the illnesses that end up with kids getting sick at schools or daycare isn't caused in the lunch room you know what I mean??? Yes, kids are germy, but it's ALWAYS written off as "it's a bug going around the school/playground" when a bunch of kits get sick within a day or three of eachother or when they shut a school down because there are so many kids sick, it's NEVER food poisoning.. And we all remember the kid who put his mouth directly on the drinking fountain (Bubbler for the rest of us)..
I just wonder when the state here is going to get up to speed and stop making us use the community germ for washing our hands (nail brush).. It's one of those things that I just want to wash my hands again after using that thing! At least they changed the rec' with ServeSafe!
I'm in Alabama and we've also had problems with Olive Garden and Taco Bell as well. I'm in agreement with everyone else. There is no reason for such nastiness. I mean, how hard is it to wash ones hands?
Melvira, that's just funny ~ your butt as a plate; I'm going to have to remember that one.
It's unbelievable to me how some people take care of themselves. I wash my hands so much, an observer would probably label me as OCD. I, too, keep short, unpainted nails....and this girl was known for long, always manicured nails...until children and cakes came along!
Yesterday, I went to my childrens' classes for some holiday crafts I volunteered to do. My pre-K dd's class decorated gingerbread houses that I made for them. I think just about every one of them had crusty noses!
Worse...I went to my DS's 2nd grade class to decorate gingerbread people that I had made. There were at least 3 kids with HACKING coughs.
My gosh! How in the world do parents send their children to school like that???? The best part is that today we got to take "Max" home. Max is the class pet (germ-infested stuffed animal) that each child gets to keep for a day and night and then write about it. I can't wait till my son falls asleep so that I can get that instant-flu thing off his bed!!!
Geez...I have Purell in my kitchen...bathroom...car....pocketbook....I wish people were more thoughtful!
That is why, whether you are licensed or not, if you want to work with any kind of consumables, and you live in the USA, you should attend the ServSave Food Safety Course, and adhere to the guidelines you learn there.
It is required for licensing in PA. In the city where I live, you must display your certificate in a prominent, easily visible place.
Theresa 
I thought I was the only PURELL freak out there..lol
It's the old saying, there's no "common" in common sense.
The problem is that the parents HAVE to have their kids there otherwise they're held back a year in some school districts if the kids miss 4 days of school in the course of a year 
(it's either 4 or 5 days in a couple of the districts around here with mandatory attendance -- doesn't matter the reason they aren't there either, I understand attendance is important, but so is public health)...
LOL... maybe they need to add another requirement beginning in Kindergarden... "How to wash your hands, wipe your nose, sneeze, and cough"... I remember grade school, most of the time we weren't allowed to get up to get a kleenex, so you had to use what you had (sleeve).. Fundamentals for life...
CoutureCake
Well mine has missed Six days already. Scheduled vacation does not count! Anyway they actually had a lesson in cold germs. The sad part is that it should be a parenting isssue. I see the kids wipe there noses on sleeves and cough with not covering there mouths. We actually are required to bring in two boxes of tissues for the class when they start!
OMG - if anything pushes me over the edge to OCD its going to be germs!
i just got back from target. my 8 month old sits in the shopping cart in a floppy seat cover (its a cushion that covers the entire surface area where she sits so she can't touch the nasty cart). as soon as i get out of the store, i purell my hands.
i swear every single person in the store was hacking! what grosses me out is that people are shopping and looking at items and then they cough all over what they are looking at. then, the next person comes over and picks up the item that they just coughed all over.
its almost like people think that because they aren't with anyone they don't have to cover their mouths. um, hello, my daughter is like inches away from you and you just spewed your germs into the area!
i think its so rude and inconsiderate.
the sad thing is that people don't realize they are doing this half the time. so, its all about awareness and making people aware.
Do you all realize that I just had to Purell my hands just reading this thread!?! In my kids school there are hand cleaner dispensers at each door - a really good thing and we have to bring 2 boxes of tissues as school supplies every year - another good thing. I for one don't mind a little OCD when it comes to sanitary conditions.
Rebecca
I'm just glad to hear I am not the only hyper-cleanliness person out there. My husband thinks I am crazy with it. But one time I watched him pet the cat, then pick up a sandwich and eat it. You guessed it... there was no hand washing in between. I flipped out and told him if I ever caught him doing that and putting anything in my sons mouth he'd need to find a good surgeon to repair the damage! I love my cat, but, blech! And I have a hard time with other people's kids that smell. I keep my son clean. I let him play and get dirty, but then bathe him. Especially if we are leaving the house. I can't stand a smelly kid (of any age) that wants to climb on you. Ok, I have gotten a little astray of the original topic, but this is just SUCH an issue for me. Most people DO think I am OCD with this, but I prefer it that way. Let them think I am weird... they'll never get sick eating what I make!!
Edited to add: And be honest, we all have at least one person that we won't eat anything they bring because we've seen their house, etc.
I have a 7 1/2 year old and she was taught better then she acts sometimes. When kids get colds and thier noses start running while they are playing or doing something sometimes they forget and wipe it with thier hand, arm, sleve whatever is available. My little one just got over a 10 hour bug yesterday (woke up at 4 am vomitted a little bit each time for about 5 times went to sleep at 10:30 am woke up at 2:30 am and was fine!!!!) and she's running around today with a runny nose and I've caught her wiping it without a tissue and I just right now said blow your nose and she said it won't work lol...
I have hand santizer in my car, in my purse, on each side of my bed, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, next to the lizard tank (NOT! my idea hubby's idea to have that thing for her lol), in the laundry room, in the living room when you first walk in the door, and my god it's everywhere!!!! My van isn't even on the road yet and I have a bottle in the glovebox, in the center console, in the back center console, and in the far back arm rest console lol... I have OCD bad! so when it comes to cleanliness you can eat off my floors but don't you dare! lol
In ServeSafe they had the Purell (and other brands) discussion and it still doesn't take away for a second from hand washing, still need to wash hands with soap/water BEFORE using the Purell/other brand... As for the carts, you would think by this day and age they could figure out some form of toddler seating system that they can't flop all around, chew on the straps, or chew on the push handle.. I do have to compliment the walmart near here (before I stopped shopping at that particular location for other reasons), they had their greeter with a bleach water bottle spraying the handles of all the carts before handing them out. It was the only place I've ever seen it done, but I thought it was really nice that they were taking that extra step.
Moy... I think it was (city of) Minneapolis or St. Paul districts that had that rule, not over here where there's a minute bit of sanity left. Not much, but at least a little...
I remember in school, we also had to bring two boxes of kleenex and by the time Christmas break arrived they notoriously were all used up. The other thing is, some teachers don't like to let kids up to even GET a kleenex (my nephew still pees himself on the bus, so it's also the bathrooming). Even if there is a box, little Johnny or Susie who has chronic sinus infections no one has diagnosed can't go use them as frequently as s/he needs to anyway. And, you are right though, it's something the parents need to teach/relearn as well because they've changed the guideline instead of hacking into your hands, they now say elbow or shoulder because you're less likely to touch something with either one.. But, knowing the parents I get to deal with at work (whose kids can do NO wrong regardless of what it is they do), trust me when I say, it's easier for teachers to include that in the discussion of manners and "class rules"...
I wash my hands so much that my skin is often cracked and painful on the backs of my hands and on my knuckles. The only lotion I've found that heals very well and doesn't burn is Neutrogena Hand Cream.
I teach cake classes at Michaels and work there PT as well doing helpful seasonal stuff like making homecoming mums and a million bows. Our classroom has a big window which faces the restroom doors, and it sickens me to hear (the water and paper towel dispensers are LOUD) how people do their business and then fail to wash their hands, or who just give a cursory rinse with water and don't use soap (pointless!). I NEVER touch the bathroom door, or the faucet handles or paper towel dispenser handle with my bare hands.
Olive Garden had a few issues out here in So Cal as well. There were a couple of handwashing issues as well as people putting bodily fluids into sauces. It was so nasty, people sued olive garden for contracting certain viruses including std's. Needless to say i havent eaten there since because I am such a germ-o-phobe. My hubby and I have all kinds of stuff around the house to clean our hands...including baby wipes and sanitizer. I am glad someone sheds some light on this so we can all prevent this type of stuff from happening in our kitchens and shops.
Cakepro... It's one of those tongue-in-cheek replies, but one complaint I'd have is that being incredibly scent sensitive myself, I can't use the soap that is available in most public bathrooms unless I want to get a migrane (yes, I get the ugh reaction too, but a migrane is FAR worse than a cold). Yes, I wash my hands incredibly often with soap/water to the point they look chapped/raw especially when I'm in kitchen production, but when it comes to public restrooms, walking around with the smell from the soap is a far worse alternative. Granted, the whole world doesn't have that problem, but ugh, I just wish they could come up with a neutral scent or unscented when it comes to the hand-soaps they mass-market for public use...
I am hypersensitive to scents which often results in migraines, too, so I understand exactly where you're coming from. Soap scents are especially bad for me (and OMG, that new Dove moisturizing handsoap is among the worst!).
Just put a little bottle of handsoap in your purse along with your little bottle of Purell. This has especially helped when my children were little and we seemed to visit the restroom in every store we went to.
BTW, it's not the cold virus you should worry so much about in public restrooms! 
I'm a Purell freak too. Actually, you can get some really good smelling hand santizier from Bath & Body Works. I make my 2 little girls use it all the time. They know the drill - as soon as get get back in the car from school, running errands, whatever - the "gel" comes out.
As for the shopping carts - they do make a seat cover now for infants/toddlers. Mine covers the entire seat area as well as the main handle. Plus it comes with it's own strap so you don't even have to use the dirty one in the cart. Out here, I've seen a few grocery stores have those santizing wipes near the carts so you can wipe off the handle. And I LOVE how Chick-Fil-A has a container of santizing wipes on each of the high chairs!
In grad school I interned with the health dpetartment inspecting restaurants. Let me just say, it was not a pleasant experience!
Sad to say, but I can't even do the smell of Purell... The one scent that B&BW had that I could do they discontinued a few years ago 
.. Ugh, it sucks! Needless to say every time I've found a soap scent pleasing to the nose, only to get home to try it and before I even turn the water off, I've got to rewash with a different soap because of the smell factor..
In my day germs weren't the issue they are now. A lot of things never occured to me. Of course you were always clean in the kitchen. Now my daughter points things out and it's ugh, she's right.
When I go shopping she's taught me to take wipes and wipe the bar of the cart. Now I see stores that have the wipes when you walk in.
I still think she takes things too far but some of the things she points out makes sense.
I wash my hands so much that my skin is often cracked and painful on the backs of my hands and on my knuckles. The only lotion I've found that heals very well and doesn't burn is Neutrogena Hand Cream.
I have the same problem...lotions give me a burning sensation. Neutrogena is ok...but have you tried Aveeno fragrance free lotion with oatmeal? It's the best one that I have found so far. No smell (hate perfumy smells)...not greasy and no burning!)
I too am what my coworkers consider a germ freak. I go through about 2 containers of wet wipes (antibaterial, of course) per week. I wipe down my desk every morning...especially the phone. I have them in the car & in the house. By the way, they are great for removing gum from your shoes. Anyway, I have found 2 great lotions for my cracked hands. Avon makes a cracked heal cream that is excellent...AND, don't laugh, but I actually tried my sons Flanders BUTT MUD (diaper rash ointment) and put on a pair of cotton gloves...and wow..talk about soft as a babys bottom (fyi - it stains so wash your hands first thing when you remove the gloves). There are several other brands that work well too.
It seems like we are all freaks on the sanitation issue. I keep my nails cut short, and no polish, always an apron on, and keep my hair short. I was in Walmart the other day and went to get some meat from the Deli, one of the workers was shoving food in her mouth, when she quickly swallowed her food she asked if she could help me. She never washed her hands. When she started to fill my order, I just politely told her that I did not want her to cut my meat until she washed her hands. She was not happy with me. Or how about the waitress that brings you a cup of coffee and her thumb is inside the cup touching the coffee, or as bad putting their hands on the top of the glass where you put your mouth. There are so many infractions of sanitation, I've almost stopped going out to eat, I guess I am just too picky. I have been in the food business a long time, and I don't understand why people are not being trained properly, alot of it is common sense, but you'd be surprised how many people do not have any. I could write a book on this subject, but have you noticed how many more incidents we are seeing lately, that are getting national attention, and that doesn't count the ones we don't know about.
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