4 banned hygiene restaurant customers are guilty in the first 10 minutes

When most of us think of restaurant cleanliness, we often think of the responsibilities of the establishment, the owner, and their employees. What is their sanitation grade? When was the last time their kitchen was inspected? Does everyone wash their hands? All fair questions.

However, customers rarely think about the ways in which they are also held to a certain set of hygiene standards. But honestly, ensuring a clean and safe restaurant dining experience is a two-way street. While customers are typically quick to adhere to the obvious shoe-and-shirt-required rule, unfortunately, many are also guilty of five restaurant hygiene violations — and in the first 10 minutes, no less. Whether they use pre-cut lemons in a restaurant, place their handbag on the table, commit the serious crime of double-dipping, or even fail to wash their hands before sitting down to eat, dining customers are often putting their health, as well as the health of others, at serious risk. Let’s discuss, shall we?

This should probably go without saying, but you’re committing a serious health violation if you don’t take the time to wash your hands before sitting down at a restaurant. Simply put, no one wants your dirty, unwashed gloves searching for food in the shared bread basket.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing your hands can help stop the spread of respiratory infections and diarrhea. Unfortunately, if you’re one of the few who wash your hands before sitting down to a meal at a restaurant, then you are Maybe you’re doing it wrong – In other words, not long enough. while Water temperature doesn’t actually matter when it comes to hand washingIt is necessary to get a good lather and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Next time, consider singing the entire “Happy Birthday” song not once, but twice!

Eighty-six pre-cut lemons! No, really. While many sit down at a restaurant and immediately begin flavoring their water, tea, or other beverage of choice with a nice slice of pre-cut lemon that the server has left on the table or perched on top of the bar, it’s actually better to forgo lemon slices altogether. But why exactly? As it turns out, pre-cut lemons are one of the most popular types of lemons Surprisingly dirty stuff you’ll find in a restaurant.

“People touch the lemon in your glass, handle it, cut it, put it in a bowl or cup, or mug, and then pick up those slices later and drop them in a drink and put them on the rim of the glass,” said Philip Tierno, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University School of Medicine and author of “The Secret Life of Germs.” deer In 2016. “You can easily see how lemon slices and lemon slices can get contaminated.” But don’t just take his word for it. According to A 2007 study Published in the journal Environmental Health, 53 out of 76 lemons surveyed from restaurants harbored burgeoning microbial species. So, yes, keep calm but don’t push it!

Handbags don’t belong on the table! Not only is it bad manners, it’s disgusting! Don’t get us wrong, we love and appreciate a good bag as much as anyone. But that doesn’t mean that the wallet you carry around town should be sitting on the table next to the food you’re about to consume.

According to a study conducted by First Washroom Hygiene, 20% of the handbags wiped down contained harmful bacteria. Peter Barratt, Technical Director at Initial Hygiene, said in a press release (via CBS News). The worst part? Some handbags even rival a toilet seat when it comes to cleanliness, or lack thereof in this case. “About a third of them have fecal bacteria,” said Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. today.

Everyone loves a good appetizer! However, they do not like to eat salsa or dip it in the same dish they just dipped the chip in, then took a bite and then dipped it again. However, it is unfortunate that the crime of dining in a restaurant occurs more often than one might think – usually within the first ten minutes of the meal, when appetizers are always served first.

According to A 2009 study In the Journal of Food Safety, the amount of bacteria in the dip increased dramatically after a person was dipped twice. “We went into the lab and discovered again that every time you double-dip, you were leaving about 150 to 1,000 oral bacteria in the dip,” Professor Paul Dawson, a food scientist at Clemson University and lead author of the study, recalled later during his study. TEDxTalk In 2020. “You can imagine at a party, a Super Bowl party, where a lot of people are going diving, if they were all taking two dives, that dive could soon become like a bacterial soup.” As it turns out, salsa has been shown to contain more bacteria than cheese or chocolate. “This is because the sauce is a little thinner, so more of the contaminated sauce goes back into the shared pot,” Dawson explained. Double plungers, beware!