On
the tenth of December 2015 I awoke to a message on my phone from a friend. “Hey
still looking for a job?” I wasn’t, but I was not about to say no to a job
offer. Soon, I found myself standing in the storeroom of a locally run and
owned restaurant, learning where they stored the ketchup.
I
was an official employee of McKenzie’s Old Fashioned Burger Garage. After a month, I discontinued my employment after the various violations of Health Department regulations I witnessed and was forced to be privy to.
In
an interview with Erica Smith, an employee of two food establishments and proud
owner of a Food Handler’s License, expects any food establishment she worked or
ate in “to have, at least, standards that fulfill the health code – if not
going above and beyond that – for quality purposes for their food safety, but
also for just…guest experience – you want everything to be clean and healthy.”
Erica
Smith also affirmed that, if not the whole state of Oklahoma, at least “in
Comanche County if you get caught… with an employee working that didn’t have a
food handler’s license it can be up to a $10,000 fine per employee on [the]
payroll that didn’t have their food handler’s license. So, luckily… you have to
have it. That doesn’t mean they have to enforce all of the things they learn in
the food and safety, but they have to have a food handler’s license…,
Everything that’s seen over by the health department – which is anywhere that
has a food permit.”
Approximately
two months ago, Ms. Smith dined at McKenzie’s Burger Garage for the second time
in her life. She ordered her food, and sat in wait for it to be delivered to
her. Once her food arrived, she was ready to dig in, until she found something
disturbing. A hair.
OAC
310:257 | Page 30 |
In
section 3-10 of the OAC 310:257 it states that all food employees are required
to “…wear hair restraints such as hats, hair coverings or nets…,” except for
cashiers, hostesses and wait staff so long as they do not pose even a minimal
risk of contaminating exposed food or food handling equipment. This doesn’t
seem too unreasonable when, according to the American Academy of Dermatology
Association, a human being sheds “between 50 and 100 hairs a day.”
Les
McKenzie assured that all of his employees are required to wear hair restraints
while handling food. When I asked further questioned one of his employees, Justin
Eric Alcota, was apparently unaware that he, having a short cut, was required
to wear any hair restraints. When corrected, citing the OAC 310:257, he seemed
more than happy to make the proper adjustments.
In
section 5-34 of the OAC 310:257, it states “If used, single-use gloves shall be
used for only one task such as working with ready-to-eat food or with raw
animal food, used for no other purpose, and discarded when damaged or soiled,
or when interruptions occur in the operation.”
McKenzie’s
has plenty of positive reviews, but taking a look at negative reviews can
always prove helpful to know what customers may have witness happening in the
kitchens. One reviewer, Patrick Marshall, wrote the he witnessed an “Employee
reusing gloves….” (Review posted seven months prior to this article). Justin
went on the record to say that he always changed out his glove any time they
were contaminated or taken off.
In
section 5-34 of the OAC 310:257, it states “If used, single-use gloves shall be
used for only one task such as working with ready-to-eat food or with raw
animal food, used for no other purpose, and discarded when damaged or soiled,
or when interruptions occur in the operation.”
OAC
310:257 | Page 45 |
Ruthie
N. detailed her own experience via Yelp on September 29th of 2016 – eighteen
days after the reference OAC 310:257 took effect – Ruthie N. was given a trial
run interview during the lunch rush, to work a four-hour shift. What Ruthie N.
found was “more health code violations then [she has] seen in the past 25 years
of being in the food service industry.” Ruthie attempted to suggest healthier
sanitation practices that would follow the Health Department guidelines and was
promptly ignored, or given “the dismissive attitude of…it won’t happen to my
business by the OWNER.”
Ruthie
N. a former ServSafe instructor in the US Army, whose spouse is currently a
ServSafe instructor/proctor, has also claimed in her Yelp review that
McKenzie’s does not have ServSafe certificate.
Every
inspection certificate must be up to date and prominently displayed in the
restaurant for all to see. During the interview with Les, he stated that they
are “inspected about four times a year.” They keep their inspections displayed
“by the door on the left-hand side on the wall.” Every inspection is public
record on the Oklahoma Department of Health website, and as of their last
inspection, November 9, 2017, they had no health code violations.
On
a tour of their kitchen it was obvious just how much they had improved the cleanliness
since these reviews were posted, and their last inspection. Oklahoma’s Department
of Health website gives the public access to inspections conducted on business
in Oklahoma, including McKenzie’s. Based on the evidence, it seems that
McKenzie’s has a consistent pattern of following regulations long enough for
one inspections, and reverting to unhealthy behavior.
Only
time and the next inspection will tell if their improvements continue.
Sources:
Interview
with Erica Smith.
https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/117788020240387994939/place/ChIJ862HoNYYrYcRIZao6qJQCPw/@34.6186349,-98.4325151,14z/data=!4m6!1m5!8m4!1e1!2s117788020240387994939!3m1!1e1?hl=en-US
https://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/CPD-OSDH%20257%20FDA2009%20Finalized%208-31-11.pdf
https://www.aad.org/public/skin-hair-nails/hair-care/hair-loss-vs-hair-shedding
https://www.phin.state.ok.us/inspections/index.aspx
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