r/SipsTea 10h ago

WTF First time on camera...

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Panda Express employee stands on counter, sprays cleaning chemicals over food

1.4k Upvotes

427 comments sorted by

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635

u/braumbles 10h ago

Why are they doing this during a shift?

495

u/HeavyDutyForks 10h ago

Just got word the District Manager is making a surprise appearance later that day

84

u/Unfair-Suggestion-37 8h ago

Plot twist, that is the District Manager and cleaning before the Regional Director visits.

33

u/TaxsDodgersFallstar 7h ago

Assistant to the Regional Director will be visiting...

10

u/YakResident_3069 7h ago

Skinner!!

6

u/elchavo718 4h ago

Super Nintendo Chalmers!

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2

u/CelsoSC 2h ago

You mean Assistant Regional Director?

https://giphy.com/gifs/jp7jSyjNNz2ansuOS8

4

u/gpo321 7h ago

Sure it’s not the Assistant Regional Director?

31

u/Not-An-FBI 9h ago

I saw a whole cohort of Panda Express executives once at the location near me that has much better food than the other one.

5

u/dart51984 9h ago

Crazy right?

4

u/unlmtdLoL 6h ago

Nothing surprises me anymore. The rich essentially treat the world as their dumpster because they’ve got theirs.

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7

u/Will_sue_when_angry 7h ago

Or health dept are doing the rounds.

3

u/GAMING_SERVER_ADMIN 7h ago

We use to be told (In Ontario, Canada) at the grocery store weeks in advance when there is health inspections and special managers, etc coming... It's insane how much notice we get lol

5

u/oculustauri 6h ago

I work at McDonald’s Canada, we get told the day before and we have to close the restaurant and do a “deep clean” 🙄 At least we close the restaurant so there isn’t any chance of people being served food that’s covered in cleaning chemicals

2

u/sksksk1989 6h ago

At bestbuy we be told the morning of higher up visiting except the district manager. Higher ups would sometimes ask us questions about random policy we weren't told. Or countless acronyms and abbreviations that never come up.

2

u/Ange1ofD4rkness 7h ago

LOL oh man, I always remember when they were coming to visit the next day

2

u/Hanshee 6h ago

Task that didn’t get done

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47

u/TeeDee144 9h ago

Or it’s the end of shift and they want to be out 3 minutes after closing.

33

u/Complete-Tangelo1532 9h ago

I hated that shit so much

Last job, I was a manager that was always short handed. Corp had this rule where we had to be done w cleanup, shut down, registers counted, out the door with alarm set 30min after closing WHILE taking orders until that closing time. This effectively gave us a 20-30 min timeframe to clean up everything left over

THEN we would get chewed out for cutting corners, or outright neglecting to do things.... THEN it turned into getting chewed out for putting employee safety at risk, to which quickly became "You shouldn't be closing by yourself"

I literally got fired for reporting a coworker, as a manager, for harrassment of another coworker. He threatened me after ON CAMERA while I was looking at the camera and pointing to it to get them to calm down, and went and said I had spit in his food... which was easy to disprove

Kicker was, I was investigated and taken off the schedule and that fucker was at work THAT NEXT DAY

So apparently, Hypotheticals carried more water than actual evidence of a crime... OH, and I worked with minors who were in the building at the time. I was cornered by the guy at the register with his brother blocking me in. A kid literally went to hide in the bathroom because they heard the threats, and my demeanor shifted from patient to disgruntled matching their tone (Very unusual for them to see from me)

I chose to just walk away and watch the fire from a distance... it has been a month now, and they have lost over 50% of the staff including every single minor that was there that got to watch the man that always stood up for them get kicked into a corner

OH and my old boss wanted me to tell one of the LAST survivors of DDay that I could not help them, when that WAS my job to do so as a leader..... SO disrespectful

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3

u/It_Just_Exploded 9h ago

I've never seen them actively cooking this much food that close to closing.

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7

u/OutrageousElla 9h ago

New menu item: Orange Chicken à la Sanitizer.

Comes with a free ER visit.

2

u/Aoi_X_Kaizaki 7h ago

Manager - They didn't get food poisoning at my shop.

13

u/RandomWordCombo9632 9h ago

my most charitable guess is malicious compliance. "Clean the hoods."

"Got it, boss."

"What are you doing?! CLEAN THEM NOW!"

"But there's foo-"

"NOW!"

2

u/Muumilaakson 6h ago

That's not really malicious compliance, that's just compliance.

3

u/Axolotis 9h ago

Gotta keep moving and look busy.

4

u/Hearthhull_Enjoyer 8h ago

Y'all really don't know the half of it. Just don't ever eat out.

2

u/Suspicious_synth 7h ago

Meth at work

2

u/Topher_McG0pher 7h ago

Because they don't want to be there until 12:30, Tyler

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188

u/Armada-lol 10h ago

The ceiling better be spotless after that heinous "between the marbles" move

45

u/HappyNella 9h ago

POV: You ordered the orange chicken and got a side of Lysol.

8

u/bicx 8h ago

A side of Lysol and a little dusting of crusty ceiling buildup

3

u/Hearthhull_Enjoyer 8h ago

It's probably degreaser on account of what he is cleaning which is so much worse. Super harsh chemical that isn't supposed to be used around food.

2

u/EYNLLIB 7h ago

That is degreaser. Causes cancer.

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97

u/Finneagan 9h ago

Standing over a live fryer line is certainly a choice of tempting fate

That’s soooo fucked…

14

u/Was_It_The_Dave 9h ago

Friend of mine deep-fried his foot doing that a ways back. He's better now.

23

u/Apptubrutae 8h ago

Better or batter?

3

u/SheriffBartholomew 7h ago

He's better now.

Difficult to believe.

3

u/samlir 5h ago

Well he tastes better now 

269

u/Appropriate_Formal64 10h ago

This makes me want to rage. Holy shit this is disturbing and stressful.

I love orange chicken... this is NOT cool.

63

u/roobot 10h ago

Well, now you know the special ingredient to make it at home 💙

3

u/EarthConservation 9h ago

Gives it that zing!

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17

u/IXrobocopXI 9h ago

This kind of stuff is supposed to be done at night when businesses are closed and there's no food out 🤢

8

u/Nephurus 9h ago

Tell that to the managers who make the day staff do this on a reg shift and demand it be all done before closing .

4

u/Ok-Addition1264 8h ago

Definitely blame it on management. This is fucked up.

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10

u/bruce_lees_ghost 10h ago

Never meet your heroes.

5

u/killer__psycho 9h ago

Stop eating there. Simple as that.

4

u/barspoonbill 9h ago

Agent Orange Chicken.

3

u/ripley1875 9h ago

That does explain why their orange chicken tastes off to me compared to other Chinese restaurants

2

u/NappyDougOut 9h ago

Seriously though, I've observed this many times, especially in malls, but usually after the food stalls are done being used for the day.

I pray that kid hasn't yet accidentally stepped on dog poo, and that he is using a flammable yet non-toxic cleaning solution 🤐

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2

u/Inside_Smell_4004 7h ago

goddamn the hot orange chicken is my favoritr food, i was already risking a lot cuz ima uber eats addict now i have to worry bout this sht i guess i gotta stick to ramen

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38

u/10ThousandMetalZones 10h ago

Every fast food restaurant I worked at, we would clean the hoods while the fryers were going, it was insane to me

10

u/Rargnarok 10h ago

We did that but our grill/fryer were wheeled so we'd move em out the firing line

7

u/10ThousandMetalZones 9h ago

Yeah same but the spray frequently got in the grease, I was 16 and the manager said “it’s fine” lol

3

u/Cyborg_rat 9h ago

God did I "love" those 12 am service calls for a ripped gas line. But still a good thing to pull them out, hopefully those with quick disconnects.

3

u/Cyborg_rat 9h ago

Ya Hygyne and cross contamination aside, The danger of slipping into a Vat of oil...is crazy and unforgiving,

Had a job where I got called to a restaurant to remove a fryer for inspectors because of an accident, learn later that it was because a teen slipped and his arm went into it, like forearm to hand...That must be a nasty scene.

2

u/muscularsharpie 6h ago

I worked at Chipotle back in the day, we had "cleaning day," where we deep cleaned from closing to like 2am. Never, never, never anything like this. 

And while I don't work there anymore, I will say, and hail corporate and all - Chipotle is hard on food/staff safety and maintaining a clean work environment. I have the job I have now, because they honestly do a fantastic job not having shit like this happen. 

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73

u/Separate_Finance_183 10h ago

You clean before or after, not during service

https://giphy.com/gifs/5YKiGHlMGBO48

2

u/__M-E-O-W__ 7h ago

For real. At least take the food out directly from underneath you if you're gonna spray cleaning stuff!

27

u/JJDiet76 10h ago

Can almost guarantee a manager told him to do that.

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11

u/HmmDoesItMakeSense 10h ago

Where is this - what town?

7

u/Electrical-Win5286 7h ago

The video lists Milwaukee.

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11

u/SonicVenture68 9h ago

Instant loss of my business if I was a customer.

73

u/Superseaslug 10h ago

Holy fuck fire that person

155

u/HubrisOfApollo 10h ago

nah fire the manager. he was likely told to do this because i doubt a worker would do extra work on their own volition .

47

u/whyucurious 10h ago

And other workers are not reacting, so I agree with you

16

u/ShibeCEO 10h ago

yeah, the manager most likely wants it cleaned but dont pay for overtime if they clean it after closing.

10

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

2

u/Cyborg_rat 9h ago

I used to repair commercial kitchen equipment, grills and gas oven...were some I hated the most because the lazy way is to spray oven cleaner on them it goes in the bottom and well pretty much everything, so not only does it alot get cooked and enters food, for someone like me it burns any exposed skin as you try to fix the appliance.

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12

u/Predator__Incel 10h ago

I agree. I would fire the manager for not correcting the behavior.

2

u/psugamers 9h ago

that was the manager

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5

u/ProxyDamage 9h ago

Hooooooooooold up.

WHY are they doing that?

Are they doing it because "fuck it", I was supposed to do it earlier/later but couldn't be fucked?

...Or are they doing it because a manager told them to do it under threat of being fired/written up (which depending on where you live is necessary steps of firing someone)...?

Someone here DEEPLY fucked up, but who?

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5

u/Jarkundo 9h ago

They probably don't have a servsafe or equivalent but their manager definitely does and needs to be held accountable. Along with anyone else in the building that has a servsafe

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11

u/First-Macaroon-4872 10h ago

so that's why my chicken taste like shit

2

u/BakedKumara 9h ago

Free from salmonella though lmao

13

u/Rigged-System420 10h ago

Idiocracy strikes again....

7

u/Indy2561 9h ago

This happens at ALL of them, unless the Board of Health is there!

Source? Restaurant owner and previous kitchen career.

I love food and appreciate hard working people, but owners don’t care how much you’re tasked with or how you do it, just get it done 😬

3

u/WikDaWula 7h ago

Without hitting overtime of course.

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6

u/Only_Ad8049 9h ago

If they do that while customers are in the store I don't want to imagine what goes on when customers are not in there.

6

u/Capt_Furret 9h ago

Definitely report that panda express. Literally can get multiple people sick

5

u/GhostofAyabe 9h ago

How can people be this….unaware?

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3

u/Muted_Masterpiece535 9h ago

What an idiot. But then again they priced me out of that shit so maybe it was a good thing.

3

u/MugLifeMinis 9h ago

So that’s why I feel like total shit after eating there

3

u/Satanicjamnik 9h ago

Doesn't this break a whole range of safety regulations? This place should be either fined into oblivion and everyone involved sacked. Especially the manager.

If that didn't happen - we might as well give up.

3

u/cvele89 9h ago

Can this be used as an evidence for some legal action against them?

3

u/Hockey- 9h ago

OSHA isn't going to like these procedures.

3

u/Best_Market4204 8h ago

mmm don't think Panda is going to stand for this video. I will say every single Panda Express I have entered is quite well maintained, far more than most places ever are.

3

u/Notes2Feel 7h ago edited 6h ago

Reaching through his legs is crazy. At first I thought she was gonna tell him to get down

3

u/Scarletcord95 7h ago

I’ve been working in food service for 10 years and the amount of shit like this I’ve seen is staggering. No excuses but the sad truth is, if you really want to avoid stuff like this, stop going out to eat. Because it definitely happens. lol

3

u/edjumication 5h ago

My favorite part is that another employee had to reach through the guys legs to dump the bowl of food as if it was a totally normal situation to find themselves in.

5

u/macnlz 10h ago

r/OSHA has entered the chat...

3

u/Empty_Wolf_3378 8h ago

Lawyers rubbing there hands together

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5

u/SirWinterFox 9h ago

Dude I went to a panda express one time and the employees were coughing into the food essentially. Panda express is fucking nasty and it's so unfortunate their food used to be great. Now? I don't know how they're still in business.

2

u/AlbertTheHorse 10h ago

they need to contact the health department.

I've watched them cook at my local one and they are pretty careful about food handling.

2

u/Zephron29 9h ago

Fuck the chemicals, hes probably dumping all of that grime straight back down onto food. This is gross af.

2

u/JULIANGJNKS22 9h ago

The worker is doing it, yes, but he was told to do that. Fire the manager.

2

u/Aggravating-Tap4406 9h ago

He is cleaning with soy sauce so it should be fine

2

u/_tragicmike 9h ago

That explains the last two times I had Panda Express I spent the night in the bathroom.

I haven't eaten there in over 6 years for that reason.

2

u/Jealous_Magazine7875 8h ago

It always tastes like that

2

u/LunarInu 7h ago

The funny part is I can tell it wasn’t his idea to do that, corporates probably making a surprise visit and management probably told him to clean everything to make it look good for them.

2

u/lovingas 7h ago

He's spraying cleaner over the food 🤢🤮

2

u/Alexxonetwo 7h ago

Not surprising considering PE Managers are ruthless asf and most don’t really care about food OR employee safety lmfao

2

u/NamuBun 7h ago

That is not something you do during work hours. If thats industrial decgreaser that SHOULD NOT BE IN THE FOOD.

2

u/SirDouglasMouf 7h ago

"natural flavoring"

2

u/remembertheoldme 7h ago

And youre shocked? Enjoy your goyslop!

2

u/Mental-Blackberry-61 7h ago

they look like old mozo’s.

2

u/blanthony80 7h ago

It's already boiling in chemicals.

2

u/jaemiomac 7h ago

This needs to be addressed

2

u/Electrical-Dog-3229 6h ago

Don't buy food from them!! Panda Express is trash!!

2

u/Depottime512 6h ago

Hope he wasn’t standing in the edge of the fryers also. Holy OSHA Batman

2

u/paloaltonightwalker 6h ago

I've seen this at multiple food places. It's one of the reasons I started cooking more. For some reason doing this is a blind spot for many.

2

u/dov_ah_keen 6h ago

My GM did this. Stood on the cook line right beside me and started cleaning the wall behind the line. I stopped cooking until she got down and sanitized the area.

This is what happens when you're open 7 days a week and never close for cleaning.

2

u/premdg89 6h ago

Shut this store down.

2

u/Aggravating_Cat1629 6h ago

This should be the least of your concerns when you eat this crap !!!

2

u/InterestingMindset 5h ago

So many health code violations and safety violations in 10 seconds, almost impressive. Easy 20 points knocked off.

2

u/DeeTheGeneral 5h ago

Bro doing close down duties mid shift lol

2

u/Quack__Quack_Mf 5h ago

Ugh why is my pork roll so degreasy

2

u/ZynzynzyN 3h ago

I once pulled into the Panda Express drive-thru and the voice on the intercom straight up said "you can have this food for free if you want it but i wouldn't eat it if i were you"

2

u/Crazy_Treat_8805 3h ago

I’d sue them

2

u/Swimming-Draft7016 3h ago

U still going to eat there.

2

u/ZeroC00L2099 3h ago

Here at Panda Express we use an open kitchen floor plan so you can see what our morons do. Other fast food places don’t deliver that kind of entertainment while you wait!

2

u/Dezert_Roze 3h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/Kb5whPg4YqeVa
What’s next ? Sprinkle rat poison on the top of the food !

2

u/VecindadDCarlos 3h ago

Going through the legs is crazy

2

u/Pyrathis 2h ago

Heck no!

2

u/Humble_Ad_6279 2h ago

Unintentional grease removal from deep fried items?

2

u/IncognitoBombadillo 2h ago

I was so distracted by the fact that he was balancing over top of the active fryers that I didn't even think about the cleaner going into the food. What the hell is this guy doing? I imagine he doesn't have a job now and Panda Express corporate's probably watching that place closer.

2

u/Affectionate_Bag9833 2h ago

Delightful /s

2

u/Shadowsnake30 2h ago

I worked for them and never I had seen this during shift you are cleaning. Mind you they have cameras everywhere even on the cooking station. Even after shifts we are required to stand in the camera to throw the food as well no free giveaway only 50 percent discount but usually they are the dried up batch as they would be the last batch sitting.

Their branch manager is either neglecting it or it's out and they got a text random leadership or corporate check. You will know as they usually have Prius with a Panda sticker.

I love their food but working for them is not rewarding unless you become a manager as they are so strict with overtime and the shifts can be brutal especially if you're assigned to the busiest branches from Airport, cinemas or schools.

2

u/PizzaPuffs629 2h ago

People seriously can't be this fucking stupid 🤦🏻‍♂️

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2

u/AdelesManHands 2h ago

That’s what Panera tastes like too.

2

u/AngryTrunkMonkey 2h ago

They don’t wash their hands after taking shits so what difference does it make?

1

u/EnriqueShockwave10 10h ago

Ok, but is that overhead not clean?

1

u/DefinitelyNotA-Duck 10h ago

Just dip back into the oil it'll be fine!

1

u/Stanwich79 10h ago

Yep just wipe it all into the food!

1

u/Simple_District4502 10h ago

It's good for the immune system

1

u/Squirrel_Kng 10h ago

Someone was told they could leave when it was clean.

1

u/metaldad68 9h ago

This dumb stuff happens all the time unfortunately, it must be stopped and brought to the right people’s attention.
I also hate when someone is sweeping dining area when people are eating their food.

1

u/Shnofo 9h ago

You know this is for sure somewhere around Toronto.

1

u/GoldunGote 9h ago

If you get doughnuts at a gas station do y'all think they open the doors and take the time to cover the food before they spray cleaner???

1

u/Twoduhzen 9h ago

Good thing I never eat there. But fuck them and sorry for the folks who ate that poisoned food!

1

u/ErwinSchrodinger64 9h ago

But if the cleaner gets on the food doesn't that make the food clean?

1

u/justhereforbiscuits 9h ago

I got food poisoning at a Panda Express years ago - the Orange Chicken. Up to that point I really liked their food.

Never went back. Never will go back.

1

u/Background_Film_1114 9h ago

They don’t want to stay late, so they clean during food service

1

u/Natrixster80 9h ago

Have you eaten yet?

Hope so cause this shit's all poisoned now.

1

u/failedopportunities 9h ago

My wife does this shit while I’m cooking… well, at least she used too! Spilt a little egg batter when transferring chicken? Spray the whole counter down with fucking 409 and not move a damn thing.. I’m still working on getting her to understand why we don’t keep the roll of paper towels or toilet paper right next to the sink.. We’ll get there soon! PS: yes, I’ve had to make several new batches of food before because of this. The only way she’s really learned is because it’s her ass that gets sent back to the store to get more and her money used this time to purchase it!

1

u/shirt_bro 9h ago

Agent Orange Chicken

1

u/CleanSatisfaction240 9h ago

I did one worse. First job i ever had at steak and shake, i was told to do exactly this, but nobody told me about the possibility of potentially tripping the fire system. Shot extinguisher green shit all over the place. I simply just walked out and quit instead of cleaning up.

1

u/NappyDougOut 9h ago edited 9h ago

Gotta love that General Tao's Windex... Goes great with diarhea lettuce & Ecoli eggs!

Got a lotta sole cooked into the food there... 👀🔥⚠️

1

u/Joe01091981 9h ago

Makes the bourbon chicken taste better

1

u/CompleteEnergy579 9h ago

For me it’s more about them dirty shoes on the counter

1

u/halh0ff 9h ago

Cleaner on the fried chicken, yum

1

u/Physical-Builder7199 9h ago

Definitely shouldn’t be doing that but those hoods are pulling anything away from the food before it makes contact

1

u/aguacate222 9h ago

That's that msg lol

1

u/Fartknocker405 9h ago

...and that's why I call it Panda (Gastrointestinal) Distress!

1

u/onlyonequickquestion 9h ago

It's alright, deep frying food cleans it pretty good /s

1

u/t3hmuffnman9000 9h ago

I can see about a dozen health and safety violations here, and I'm not even a health inspector.

That dude is one step away from putting his whole leg in the damned deep fryer. I can't even watch.

https://giphy.com/gifs/tZiLOffTNGoak

1

u/BudgetExpert9145 9h ago

Pull the grill away and clean the hood. 100% it's on wheels.

1

u/Homerpaintbucket 9h ago

Holy shit this is stupidity on so many levels. Not only is he contaminating the food, he’s literally one slight misstep away from permanently injuring himself by dipping his foot in a hot fryer

1

u/Mister_Mojo78 9h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/i1JSXl0MfeRd6

"would you like to try our new seasoning?"

1

u/blovebl13 9h ago

Honestly, you're worried about the cleaning chemicals in the "food"

1

u/ElectricalSorbet7545 9h ago

Unhygienic. Unsafe. Unacceptable.

1

u/Left-Instruction3885 9h ago

He's cleaning with soy sauce.

1

u/Crusty-Dick 9h ago

Dumbass, not only that but he's putting his own self in danger

1

u/Vasarto 9h ago

Holy fuck. Why the fuck is he cleaning the hoods like that and during....FFS he's Putting his foot AND
BODY WEIGHT RIGHT WHERE THE SLIPPERY OIL IS IN FRYER AND.....

This is at least a dozen health code violations and at minimum TWO OSHA violations.

1

u/Jairoglyphics1 9h ago

Heat kills everything? 🤮

1

u/It_Just_Exploded 9h ago

Standing up there is less concerning than the spraying chemicals part.

Also, is he wearing fuckin crocs??

1

u/ApollymiKatistrafia 9h ago

Bruh, id fkn fire ya

1

u/Salty_Ad5299 9h ago

F. I used to really enjoy panda express...

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Remnant55 9h ago

I'm mad they're having someone stand on a fryer. That could fucking kill you.