Sometimes, like this afternoon, the foodservice industry news is a comedy of errors—and sometimes those errors aren’t so funny, actually.

A rescued turtle in the kitchen sink?  Yes, it’s a true story, and it is pretty funny, but the memory of my old bio major roommate saving a turtle sticks with me; she warned the whole house to wash our hands very well after touching the little guy.  Turns out our half-shell friends carry all kinds of nasties! (“Nasties” - noun, pl.: my made-up word for parasites, bacteria, and other microscopic things that don’t agree with my digestive system.)  Needless to say, I’m not keen on drinking from a cup washed in a sink that’s housed a turtle.  Lesson: Don’t use your commercial kitchen sink as a temporary aquarium.

Less funny, though, is the lemon story that’s been floating around the news for a few months in different forms.  Word has it that a group (“Good Morning America”) decided to test the lemon wedges served with the tap water in different chain restaurants.  What their lab tests revealed was disturbing; the majority (4 out of 6) of the lemons were contaminated with fecal matter.  One of those lemons even showed E. coli contamination.  Lesson: Prevent food contamination through best practices.

So how could these restaurants clean up their lemons (and their reputations)?  Training all staff on food safety issues is a must.  All produce needs to be properly washed, but the training can’t stop there.  Hand-washing is a small act of utmost importance; post signs and have handwashing stations in convenient locations.  Remind staff that going to the restroom isn’t the only way to end up with dirty hands; even things as seemingly innocuous as cash and credit cards can be very unsanitary.  Besides keeping their hands clean, staff should also be trained to always use gloves when handling lemons/limes and other product—or use a set of tongs specifically for the lemons/limes.

And if you think lemon-less water is in the clear, think again.  Ice is a product that seems innocent, and some people even believe that the cold temperature kills off the “nasties.”  (Not so.)  One common mistake is dipping the cup directly into the ice bin to get ice.  (This can result in contamination, and if a glass is broken inside the bin, you’ve also got one heck of a cleanup job to do.)  Another mistake is allowing the ice scoop to be used with bare hands, and then dropping it into the ice bin.  The best practice here is to use the ice scoop and then stow it safely outside the bin—and away from other contaminants.

Follow those few tips and keep your operation’s good name out of the negative press!

Serv-U has all the supplies you need to keep your bar or restaurant up to code.  Call, email, or chat live with a sales associate to find out more about our selection of staff training resources, cleaning chemicals, tongs, disposable gloves, handwashing sinks, ice scoops, ice makers, ice bins, and more.