Kitchen Nightmares may not be airing new episodes these days, but at least people are still familiar with it. Arguably one of Gordon Ramsay’s most notable shows, one of the scariest parts was when he went back to the kitchen to see how the restaurant operated. Usually, food was improperly stored and nothing was cleaned, and sadly, these scary situations can happen anywhere — even at chain restaurants like McDonald’s.
McDonald’s is arguably the biggest fast food chain around. You can imagine that management would want to be meticulous with cleaning, especially since they serve so many people in the community. But, alas. Sometimes important chores like this get forgotten.
You might shelf McDonald’s cleanliness in the “things you wish you didn’t know” category of your brain, and that makes sense. After all, you go to fast food chains to get a quick and tasty meal, and don’t want to think hard about how it’s made.
But after you view this photo of a McDonald’s ice cream machine, you might start crying tears of joy when an employee tells you it’s down for maintenance.
Trey on the phone with McDonald’s *
— nordy (@jaxonnordstrom) August 26, 2018
“What time does your ice cream machine break every night?”
McDonald’s: “sorry sir it’s actually been down for maintenance all day today”
Bruhhhhhhhh lmao
The employee, who initially shared the news in 2017, has reportedly left the job since tweeting about it. On Twitter, he goes by Nick — and he probably knew the gross photo would go viral.
However, he was quick to add that this wasn’t the reason why the machines are notoriously down all the time. In fact, they have goop like this in them when you order your desserts.
People keep quoting this and saying this is the reason it's always down when it works perfectly fine with this in it
— nick (@phuckyounick) July 16, 2017
Nick also gave a tour of the machine. So, it’s pretty obvious that he was actually an employee and not a troll who just found a disturbing photo online.
Cones go here pic.twitter.com/TD00PWIq7F
— nick (@phuckyounick) July 17, 2017
Fans of McDonald’s didn’t like what Nick had to say. But let’s be honest — if Super Size Me didn’t scare people away from fast food, neither would these Twitter photos.
I can't believe the abuse you are getting from losers for exposing this. Wake up people McDonalds is disgusting.
— Bridget O'Brien PR (@BridgetOBrienPR) July 30, 2017
Plus, just because something is gross doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s harmful. Still, it’s an image that might be burned into your mind for some time.
Disgusting 😫
— CECi (@19cuervo87) August 4, 2017
Here’s the scary part: that’s just one of the many pieces of equipment in a McDonald’s.
But, here’s the good news. After being shared in 2017, there were no widespread reports of any sort of ice cream sickness.
If anything, maybe it made McDonald’s employees more aware of the equipment they need to clean on a regular basis. Cleaning can be a drag, but it’s absolutely mandatory in food service.
Otherwise, bad things can happen. Not only can food be contaminated, but drips from machines can cause unnecessary kitchen fires and hazards.
Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine reported that foodborne illnesses are pretty pricey to the United States. It costs an estimated $14 billion per year to recover from mistakes that could have been prevented.
Only a few days left of spring! It’s the perfect time to de-clutter your fridge & prep for #Summer! Use this guide to reduce food spoilage & risk of foodborne illness! #FoodSafety pic.twitter.com/Qb38kLKWcm
— USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service (@USDAFoodSafety) June 12, 2019
Since workers are so focused on getting food out, they might miss standard cleaning issues. It’s hard to blame them, since they’re still trying hard at their job.
But, these things can build up, and bacteria can form a lot quicker than you may imagine.
Even though a lot of people were angry at Nick, and tried to tell him he was pointing out a standard grease trap, it’s likely he’s pretty aware of the machine if he was asked to clean it.
This is the side of the ice cream machine! It's not from a grease trap pic.twitter.com/nMpnFxAvZ4
— nick (@phuckyounick) July 17, 2017
It’s also a reminder that every restaurant may have secrets that they don’t want their customers to know about. It’s important to always keep up to date with the restaurant inspections in your area.
NEW OPEN DATA on @wprdc! Now you can download data on all restaurant inspections in Allegheny County since 2014, not just violations! https://t.co/nN8ufnKLcg pic.twitter.com/qdN9YUghCP
— Ellie Newman (@PghAdventurer) August 7, 2018
Eateries, including fast food, get inspected and graded pretty regularly. The reports are usually made public.
Not to be a stickler, but the sanitary inspection grade mean a lot to me. If McDonald’s ratchet, frozen patties having ass has an A grade all over the city, how tf does your restaurant have a B grade? Tf y’all doing back there??? 🤨
— Nicholas (@ChunkyChun) July 3, 2018
They might give you a better idea, overall, of where to eat this weekend. Aside from staying away from the poor inspections, you might actually discover a new favorite out of the restaurants who value cleanliness and the health of their customers.
