How do you know that a restaurant food preparation employee has washed their hands after using the washroom?

Question

Should the sink not be outside the washroom where other employees can observe the person washing their hands thoroughly? Studies have shown that people tend to wash their hands more often and more thoroughly if they know they are being watched.

Answer 1

You can't know for sure, but, there is a sink in the kitchen, near the door, where they are supposed to wash their hands when they enter or touch anything contaminating.

Also, whether someone washes or not in the restroom, they still touch the door knob, which is rife with germs from other people's hands, so, they must wash in the kitchen.

Most kitchens are full of people coming and going, so as you pointed out, that helps keep people honest and mindful of the rules.

Answer 2

There is just no way of knowing if someone washed his/her hands. Just so you know, most food-related illness (like the recent e-coli spinach and peanut butter scares) comes from the food itself, not the person handling it.

To reduce the chance of passing illness, the number of people handling the food should be reduced. No one handling money should ever touch food. That includes servers, bartenders, cashiers, counter workers, other customers, etc. That is why there are serving utensils when the food is out.

Really the only people who should be handling food are the cooks in the kitchen. This can be done bare-handed because any responsible cook will keep his place (mise) and hands clean.

I once worked in a kitchen where everything was so clean that you could take food out of the (lined) garbage and eat it. That and strict adherence to cooking temperature will make the food as safe as possible.

No restaurant or kitchen is 100% clean, but any good kitchen will be safer than your own at home.

There have been deaths as a result of food poisoning, but far fewer than you would think. (Most cases of "food poisoning" are just excuses to get out of work.) So, except for extremely rare instances, you might feel a bit sick for a couple of days. Look on the bright side--you'll have a stronger immune system because of it.

Answer 3

Bring your own washing basin with you to the restaurant and have everyone involved in preparing your food come out and wash their hands in front of you using a strong lye-based solution. Then go back in to the kitchen with them and watch as your meal is prepared. Or you can tell them that you are from Dateline NBC and that should scare them enough to keep it clean. Or just do not sweat it and realize that the chances of you getting ill are slim and have a little bit of faith in humanity. No one in a restaurant is trying to get you sick, unless you are mean to them and do things that anger them like question their hygiene.

Answer 4

You cant be 100% certain. You never know what the employees do before or after they wash their hands unless you have a special person designated to watch them or something.

Answer 5

There is no way to know. After I got E-coli I stopped going to restaurants for awhile. You never know what kind of hygiene the people have that are cooking your food. Even in nice restaurants you can't be sure.

Answer 6

No REAL way to know,
Dine out at your own risk.
Be nice and always tip your server properly.
That is the best insurance that nothing is "wrong" with your food.
Or you could just shop for, prep, cook, and clean up after your own meals, always.....then you know the cleanliness of everything involved.
Happy dining.

Answer 7

Smell them.

Answer 8

There's no way to be sure, you have to take your chances.

Answer 9

Close your eyes and pray!

Answer 10

You don't lnow, you just have to hope they do!