I recently dined at a very well known restaurant in Manhatten NY.
During lunch I observed the bread basket being returned to the bread cutter with uneaten bread in it. It was added too and placed on other tables.
I was disgusted and refused to eat any bread, but my dining partner didn't see a problem with it.
I'd be interested to hear what others think.
2007-09-23 15:15:54 · 33 answers · asked by travelling girl 1 in Dining Out ➔ Other - Dining Out
The restaurants name is Balthazar in Soho, New York.
2007-09-23 22:58:50 · update #1
I've reported far less concerns to the Health Dept. Immediately contact your city/county/state Health Dept. They will get you to the right person/people. They WILL investigate. What you have there is unsanitary conditions, if someone at the previous table had "contact hepatitis", and that bread is moved to your table, not only will it possibly infect anyone touching that bread at your table, it probably already infected the busser in the back who was transfering the bread and is now touching MANY MORE bread baskets.
GOOD NEWS... when they are this blatantly reckless with their sanitation practices, there's probably far worse going on behind the scenes... why is this good news, because you got to witness a place that you should "never go back to ever again ! ! !" Be more worried about the hidden habits at other restaurants... it's better to know it's not a safe place to eat versus wondering if it's safe. By the way, after hours, if you find off-shift waiters at a bar, ask THEM about the best sanitary places to eat... I assure you, they'll know.
2007-09-23 18:51:34 · answer #1 · answered by retrozetti 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unsanitary to say the least! All I can imagine is this "Someone SNEEZING, not covering their mouth, and spraying on yours or my bread! That makes me sick just thinking of it! Second to that would be scratching a dirty head full of dandruff, and then picking up just ONE PIECE of bread....deciding not to eat it, and putting it back in the basket. So very sorry for the bad thoughts, but I think it's fair to think that this could happen. Ugh...so sorry. Besides, I believe it is illegal to reserve food that hasn't been touched by a previous person/s that ordered in A RESTAURANT, or at least a "health department issue". I now want to post a new question involving the previous sentence.
2007-09-23 15:27:48 · answer #2 · answered by Pilot ~ canine son! 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
That is horrendous! NO it should NOT be "reused" at all! That has to be some kind of health code violation. I'd definately call the health dept. and let them know. If this is a "well known" restaurant, then they should know better. All for the sake of making a few more dollars... sheesh!
2007-09-23 16:44:44 · answer #3 · answered by Enchantress38 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm, yeah, you don't know if those other customers washed their hands between the last time they went to the bathroom and when they put their hands in the bread basket. It's a shame to waste bread, but maybe there are other ways to avoid that like not putting out quite so much bread at once.
2007-09-23 15:21:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, once it's been on someone else's table, they could have touched it, sniffed it, picked it up and put it back down, broken off a small piece, sneezed on it, licked it....etc.
No way should food that has been served to another table be re-served.
Health codes should also prevent this.
If they didn't drink from their water glass, would they just leave that there too, and reuse it?
Yuck!
2007-09-23 16:14:57 · answer #5 · answered by buttercup 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No that is disgusting, think of the germs, sneezes, coughs all over the bread and the hands that would of touched, not to mention it being stale also. I would have complained and you are entirely right, why would they do such a thing. I wouldn't fill the bread basket that much and would allow requests for more instead.
2007-09-23 15:20:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
i understand the point of not wanting to waste food, especially with so many starving people in the world, but i have to agree with you, thats just really nasty, there is no telling what was passed onto that bread. if they don't want to throw it away, then save it as scraps for neighborhood animals. i used to work at a fast food restaurant and all the leftover stuff was put in a bin, and a local farmer came and got it, to feed to his pigs.
2007-09-23 16:42:08 · answer #7 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My friend worked at a restaurant that did that...I did not eat there after I found that out.
All the restaurants that I worked at did not allow that...no matter what. I saw someone accidentally sit down a plate of food at the wrong table..the customer didn't touch it but it was tossed out anyway and the food was remade because it touched the wrong table
2007-09-23 15:21:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Eww. What if somebody with germs on their hands from coughing or sneezing, picked up that piece of bread, decided they didn't want it, then put it back in the basket. Then that piece of bread gets passed to the next person. Ewww! I'm wirth you - I would be grossed out.
2007-09-23 15:19:21 · answer #9 · answered by lordmisrule2004 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I agree with you 100% I would be appauled and disgusted! Just because the bread wasn't eaten, doesn't mean it wasn't touched. There is no excuse for any decent restaurant to have to salvage bread, what's next, re-using the garnish?
2007-09-23 15:25:23 · answer #10 · answered by BETH M 1 · 3⤊ 1⤋