Fast Food Hostility, Horror Stories: Who’s Minding the Store?

Fast food restaurants are in the headlines again and for all the wrong reasons. Reports indicate police officers in several states continue to receive unwanted political statements marked on coffee cups. Some restaurant workers have even refused to serve law enforcement officials and have gone as far as spiking their food. But it’s not just the police that have to worry. If you patronize a fast food eatery, having some unfriendly message written in felt-tip pen on a drink lid is the least of your worries. Hold on to your burger, because the wow factor is about to go through the roof.

After scanning my Yahoo home page a few days ago, I discovered an unnerving story which is still resonating with me. A former employee at a popular fast food chain allegedly smeared menstrual blood on a drive-thru customer’s hamburger before serving the order. Yes, you read that correctly. What’s more, it’s alleged the same worker licked a slice of cheese before making the burger. Considering the amount of fake news out there, these are merely allegations. With that said, on Jan. 13, 2016 at 2 pm, the Columbus, Mississippi Police Department issued a press release indicating the office has “opened a criminal investigation regarding the alleged preparation and serving of tainted food at Jack’s restaurant…”

Of course, there have been other disturbing incidents at various places. Do you remember food critic and author Anthony Bourdain’s best-selling book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly? Well, messing with customers’ food does not just take place at the finer bistros. From secretly eating ice cream straight out of the nozzle before using the same spout to serve unsuspecting customers, to licking uncooked taco shells and piled high mashed potatoes, chances are there is some pretty disgusting stuff going on in a fast food restaurant near you.

To avoid being misconstrued, more power to the dedicated restaurant workers and fast food employees who serve the public. But let’s make one thing straight. Call it what you will, tainting, contaminating or poisoning someone’s food is a crime. Other concerns include salmonella, noroviruses and possibly more. But when you think of all the surveillance cameras in the workplace and the heavy customer traffic, it’s hard to believe these repulsive incidents keep happening. Even though intentionally infecting or tainting food is considered a felonious act, since when have criminal laws been able to stop human behavior? These events give you something to think about before placing that next order of fries, tacos, burgers, pizza and almost anything else.