When customers pay hard-earned money to dine at a restaurant, they expect to be served clean and delicious food. Yet, the reality is that there are many potential dangers to customers in restaurants due to poor management practices. Beyond a disappointing meal, the negligence of restaurant owners could cause serious health complications or fatal outcomes to patrons.
Food poisoning from poor food handling
Proper food handling is a basic responsibility of any restaurant. Without adhering to strict standards, the risk of foodborne illnesses escalates. Neglecting to discard expired meats, storing raw ingredients in the same refrigerator as ready-to-eat food or leaving perishable food at room temperature are not only irresponsible practices but also potentially fatal.
Every year, 3,000 individuals lose their lives because of food poisoning, an illness that affects around 48 million people. Poor food storage, cooking and hygiene stemming from negligence help spread viruses and bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Disease outbreaks due to poor employee management
A dish traverses numerous restaurant staff before it reaches the customer’s table. However, a concerning survey presents an alarming reality: there is a high chance that a sick worker was one of them. Despite being sick, 51% of food service employees say they still go to work.
There are various reasons for this, but it mostly boils down to workers lacking many crucial benefits such as sick days or job security. When restaurants allow a sick worker to handle food, they also allow diseases to be transmitted to customers. In 2022, a single infected employee caused a Hepatitis A outbreak that led to over 50 sick patrons and four deaths.
The importance of proper restaurant management cannot be emphasized enough, especially when it can lead to devastating and sometimes fatal outcomes. Customers who, unfortunately, experience a loss or illness have the option to pursue legal action and hold negligent owners accountable. Ultimately, it’s the patronage and satisfaction of customers that determine a restaurant’s success.