Lest you live in a vacuum, you probably already know that a network television magazine show recently spilled the dirt on which fast food chains in America are the filthiest.
The expose, which aired on NBC's "Dateline" news program, was the result of an investigation that examined health inspection reports for the 10 largest QSR companies over the last 18 months.
Because those 10 chains comprise about 75,000 restaurants, the study focused on 100 stores in each chain for a total of 1,000 units across 38 states. Some of the restaurants were visited only once, while others were seen more often.
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of that investigation was the unappetizing number of critical violations or infractions that have the potential to make patrons sick. According to the report, more than 60 percent of the quick service chains were found to have had at least one critical violation in the last year and a half.
The survey's top 10 list for dirtiest restaurant chain was as follows:
(10) Taco Bell had the fewest critical violations at 91. The chain, however, was cited repeatedly for dirty food prep counters and rodent droppings on site.
(9) McDonald's, with a total of 136 critical violations, was cited for not having a trained and certified food handler on site.
(8) KFC earned 157 critical violations, and one particular unit was cited as the location where a young child picked up a case of salmonella poisoning.
(7) Subway had 160 critical violations and was cited for improper food holding temperatures.
(6) Jack in the Box, which currently is trying to reposition itself as a fast casual entity, received 164 critical violations, and several diners complained of contracting a food borne illness at one of the chain's locations in Ventura, Calif.
(5) Dairy Queen was the recipient of 184 critical violations, and one unit in Hampton, Va., was cited for dirt, debris and an inaccurate thermometer on the premises.
(4) Hardee's earned a total of 206 critical violations and repeatedly was cited for the presence of rodents and insects.
(3) Wendy's also had 206 violations, the same as Hardee's, but more of the chain's restaurants were cited, thus resulting in its higher ranking. ING
(2) Arby's, the roast beef sandwich chain, received 210 violations and was cited several times for improper Ian hand washing by employees and the handling of food with bare hands.
(1) Burger King was the whopper on the list, with a total of 241 critical violations, including improper hand washing, uncovered food in refrigerators and dirt and debris on the ice chutes and drink dispensers.
Granted, the survey examined only a small percentage of units in those huge chains, and not all of the companies' restaurants are guilty of such neglect.
It is important, however, to note that despite the sizes of those conglomerates, they still are responsible to and for each and every one of their customers and rightfully are expected to have control over what goes on in all of their respective establishments.
Given the "Dateline" findings, more attention clearly needs to be paid to employee training. In this day and age when restaurant associations across the country for years have inundated the industry with tips and courses on proper food handling and safety techniques, it is inconceivable that workers still do not know how to wash their hands correctly or serve their customers safely. Cleanliness is not rocket science.
Between concern over the country's obesity rates, the ramifications of a stillunfolding hepatitis A outbreak and now the "Dateline" expose, the foodservice industry and especially the fast food segment are under increasing scrutiny. To their credit, some of the leaders of the fast feeders featured on "Dateline" acknowledged that even one critical violation was one too many. That said, the Big 10 need to clean up their acts quickly, before loss of public confidence turns into a loss in the segment's recently refueled sales momentum.
It doesn't matter how big a chain gets, it's still important to concentrate on details in all of the units, whether they are company owned or franchised. Remember that the customer is king. Patrons deserve to have food their way in a clean environment where they don't have to worry whether a single with cheese will end up causing a supersize attack of food poisoning.
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