Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post Search
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Customer Secretly Films A Hooters Kitchen And People Are Disgusted
14.5K

Customer Secretly Films A Hooters Kitchen And People Are Disgusted

ADVERTISEMENT

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment – very few of us choose to go to Hooters for the quality of the food. Sure, the wings, fries and onion rings are tasty enough but as far as memorable culinary experiences go… well, that’s not really the point is it?

Image credits: ViralHog

However, what you do expect from any restaurant are cleanliness, food safety and good hygiene. All of these things were called into question recently after a video of a Hooters kitchen, secretly filmed by a customer, went viral for all the wrong reasons.

Image credits: ViralHog

“I proceeded to sit at the far end of the bar next to where servers receive food and drinks from behind the bar,” Kurt Fortner said when sharing the video to ViralHog. “My intentions were to have a few adult beverages and possibly some of their wings. To my surprise, I noticed multiple health and safety violations. Ranging from raw chicken on the floor, dirty drinks left on the counter. Even cleaning out the bottom of the fryer with the same utensils used for food service.”

Image credits: ViralHog

“I witnessed three managers on duty two in the front of the house and one in the back of the house. That is the time I took the video discreetly without being noticed. I end up leaving without ordering any food.”

Image credits: ViralHog

You can’t really blame him for leaving, can you? The video has been viewed almost 75k times since the incident took place back in November 2017 at a Hooters in Hampton, Virginia. We can only hope that steps have been taken to rectify the situation!

Speaking to Bored Panda, Kurt said that he’s never gone back to the restaurant, and doesn’t intend to in the future. “There was too much cross-contamination, food was being cooked with the same utensils used to clean out the bottom of the fryer,” he told us. “They would quickly transition from chicken wing prep to plating with no glove change or washing of their hands.”

“It was disgusting and I worked at Ruby Tuesdays so I have seen shady and understand what service should be. Too many people are focused upon attractive females instead of good work practices, which is unfortunate because Hooters itself has OK food.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: ViralHog

Kurt and his wife Lisa run Poseidon Aquatic Services, a swimming pool and hot tub business based in Virginia. He knows what it takes to instill good business practices in order to run a successful team. “Coming from a business owner, problems start at the top,” he said. “If you watch the video the employees are programmed to do bad practices it’s been neglected for so long it’s normal now.”

“Hooters focus is more on the girls and their appearance, they have some of the oldest equipment around, for example, a tennis ball and string with receipts. We have one left in our area and this is it. Before long this will be shutting down.”

“Like I said it starts with leadership, it starts at the top.”

Image credits: ViralHog

Since the very first Hooters opened in Clearwater, Florida in 1983, the chain has gone on to open over 400 ‘breasterants’ in 28 countries. The main feature has always been the scantily clad servers with their low-cut tops and tight orange shorts, who are meant to represent the “All-American Cheerleader” and the “Girl Next Door.”

“Much more than just a pretty face, Hooters girls have game,” the franchise website says. “They’re intelligent and attentive, using their energy, experience and personalities to serve guests everywhere to live in the moment and take a break from the outside world.”

ADVERTISEMENT

However, the brand has become outdated and increasingly irrelevant in this day and age, with the younger generation less sold on the blatant objectification of women. Business Insider reported that the number of Hooters restaurants have decreased and sales stagnated, forcing the chain to change its marketing strategy. Perhaps they could start by cleaning their kitchens a little better?

Watch the shocking video for yourself below

Image credits: ViralHog

What do you think? Would you still eat at a Hooters? Is the franchise still relevant for the easygoing atmosphere and no-frills fun they provide? Or is it outdated, seedy and increasingly out of touch with the younger generations? Let us know your opinions in the comments below!

Here’s what people had to say about the incident

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
You May Like
Popular on Bored Panda
Leave a comment
Add photo comments
POST
nickyoldfielddesciple avatar
Nicky OldfieldDesciple
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What kind of comment is that that if I want to eat in a restaurant with a clean kitchen I should learn to cook for myself and that most working kitchens look like this??. Maybe that is the what it is like where Shaun Hicks lives but thankfully not everywhere. My Brother used to be a head chef if several hotels and restaurants and had a degree in food science and preperation and he would have a major meltdown if he saw this. He gave me a serve one day when we were doing the dishes in my mother's kitchen and I scratched my head and then picked up a plate to dry. And I can happily say that about most restaurants. Even the Mc Donald's I worked in years ago was meticulous about hygene. This place is disgusting and should be shut down. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't cause an outbreak of food poisoning.

h-lane17 avatar
Han
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I quit a job after 3 hours in a kitchen (I was the dish pig) they only gave me 3 tea towels to use for a full lunch service. F*****g gross and I couldn't be part of it.

Load More Replies...
l_hellsing avatar
Mica Fiverline
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

erm, maybe this is a cultural thing, but I've worked in a few kitchens in my life (one of them was of a well-known burger franchise) and NONE ever looked like that! (I live in Germany, btw) Sure, when it gets busy, it might look a BIT disorganized and messy but seriously, there wasn't like a few moments to dust off the counters?! Even during lunch rush on the burger chain it never looked like this! I fully understand that kitchens aren't always clean to squeak, but this is just plain gross! And implying that it is merely a normal dinner rush is just absurd. They serve chicken for heaven sake! Salmonella is no joke!

lesleafreeman avatar
Leslea Freeman
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You are so right! That was DIRTY!! Not messy, not disorganised, it was DIRTY!!. Does the U.S not have restaurant inspections? That was months of grime. Must be an American thing!

Load More Replies...
misstea2020 avatar
Moo Moo Futch
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, the type of people who eat in Hooters aren't gonna be looking at the floor or their plates are they?

paula_mary_hannon avatar
Paula Hannon
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Also to be fair going to Hooters is not an excuse for people to be okay with this, plenty of people could still get sick and die from those unsanitary conditions.

Load More Replies...
edc_82 avatar
Lola
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those comments are complete garbage. I worked in restaurants before and none of the kitchens looked like that. If in your eyes that is normal, then you need to re-evaluate your cleaning skills. A restaurant like that should be immediately shut down. Its so called managers need to hit the bricks as well. No excuse for such nastiness.

carol_milne1960 avatar
Carol Milne
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked the restaurant business for decades. I never saw a kitchen in a state like this in all my years. I started in McDonalds when I was 13 and the place was immaculate even after a rush . Once a month we would do an all nighter to clean areas that wouldn’t be done daily like the line. One restaurant would power wash every night right to the ceiling. This is a prefect example of not paying a good wage to kitchen staff and treating them well. This place would be shut down in a nano second here in Toronto. We have multiple inspections for restaurants. This is a disgrace.

sarah-lennie avatar
TheKnightOwl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even if it was a "rough night", there is no excuse for this. Anyone who has worked in the industry knows this isn't the result of one busy night. That's filthy. They'd be shut down here.

4msaya avatar
xzone avatar
chrishill avatar
Notsoswift
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like most restaurants I worked in but at the end of the night we cleaned everything. These pictures only give a snapshot.

dongpavdk avatar
DP von Icecream
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love women, I love boobs (sorry for this, but I am male & I simply can't help it....). But WHY would you choose a (dressed) titty bar instead of a good restaurant to get your food....?

wil_vanderheijden avatar
Wil Vanderheijden
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could never figure out why you would visit a place like hooters and why the concept is so popular.

Load More Replies...
ashleerudolph avatar
Stormapotamus
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked in a handful of restaurants and none of them looked even close to this disgusting.

dawngree avatar
Dawn Thompson Greenwood
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work in a cafe and even on our busiest nights our kitchen doesn't look like this. There is no excuse for this filth. I wouldn't eat or drink anything from that place. Yuck!

barbertj23 avatar
T.J. Barber
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm totally on the side of people who think this is pretty normal. The critiques just seem to be coming from people privileged enough to have never worked in a kitchen. What is so bad? No, really? A guy has some flour on him and there's stuff on the floor? Do you eat off the floor? There's crumbs on the banister around the fryer? You don't eat those, they don't touch your food. The fryer is 300 degrees, you want them to constantly take a rag to burning hot metal just so it looks nicer? All of the cooks are wearing gloves, all are being safe with the food, the garbages have liners and there's multiple garbages in reach for each cook, they're moving back and forth in a crowded area, constantly passing each other, do you know how dangerous it would be for them to bend down and clean the floor constantly? You'd get servers and other cooks running into you, while surrounded by hot cooking appliances.

marmitejim avatar
marmitejim
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's Hooters, why is anyone surprised the kitchen looks like backstage at a peep show..?

graybeard avatar
gray beard
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All I know is everyone not just the guy filming it could see this kitchen and they still ordered and ate the food. The guy filming it wasn't hiding in a closet and I think the staff new every now and then he pointed his phone at the ceiling that was his idea of being sneaky ha ha. I have to be honest though there is no way after seeing that kitchen I would eat anything coming out of it. I am not a germaphobe but these people either had a lot of booze with their lunch or all the restaurants around there must look like that and they are just used to it. How many of you would have eaten the food coming out of that kitchen honestly ?

ptoddchesser avatar
Trash Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of the folks in the comments shown in the article are imbeciles. Yes kitchens do get dirty through the course of shift but when I ran a restaurant, this was NEVER how my kitchen looked. I had someone go down and sweep the line, if it was really bad, I'd have someone spot mop too. The management of this place stopped caring. The mess you see didn't just happen in one shift. Those fryers have not been cleaned in weeks.

stuffedbear avatar
Ben Dover
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "customer" that supposedly shot the video (from his seat at the bar?) is not the most reliable of people.........Kurt Edward Fortner Jr. of Newport News, identified as the driver of the silver Chrysler, was in fair condition at a hospital Tuesday. When he is released from the hospital, he will be charged with reckless driving, driving under suspension, driving under the influence, evade and elude and two counts of maiming while driving under the influence, a police news release said.

glennsheldon avatar
lumpy
Community Member
4 years ago (edited)

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

You’re going to discount the video because he was arrested for something unrelated 5 years prior?

Load More Replies...
niahooton_1 avatar
NHwolfShadow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who even lets a place become this dirty. 1 I'm almost 100% sure it's illegal to have a kitchen that serves food to the public this dirty.2 how the hell do the employees feel about working in these facilities I mean it's horrible.

dirigobill avatar
Bill
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The photo of the open trash can and cooking oil right next to the burners of the fryer concerns me the most

awthrawthr avatar
Kelley Eidem
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a health inspector or two who ought to be investigated as well. How much cash do they have in their freezer?

idrow avatar
Id row
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of those comments were ridiculous. I've worked in a few restaurants and bar and grills and have never seen any kitchen as filthy as that. That's not from one night of being busy. That's a kitchen that doesn't get cleaned, period. And if there's raw chicken on the floor and they're cross contaminating the food by using the same utensils, that's just terrible management.

launerjennifer avatar
TwiceRice23
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This comments are seriously messed up. I'd like to see any one of them eat at a restaurant that looks like this and be okay with it.

scunk avatar
Ian Bodey
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Thank F**k I don’t live in america, we don’t have hooters here in the UK. Even if they did I wouldn’t eat there for all the tea in China.....I was eating my dinner when I looked at this I think I threw up in my mouth. On the light side looks like my kitchen when the wife is cooking...

liverpoolroze avatar
Rose the Cook
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

So many comments refer to the fact that people go to Hooters to perv on the big busted waitresses rather than to eat the food. Anywhere that serves food must by law maintain the premesis in reasonably clean condition no matter how busy.The problem is that in most places anyone can open a food outlet with no qualifications or training and no idea of how to run it. They then employ equally untrained people at minimum wages so what can you expect.

obviouslyfakename avatar
genzennial
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

It's Hooters. If you eat the food it's your mistake. Just because it isn't good. Everyone is just fooled by the tits. This shouldn't've happened but I'm honestly not surprised. Also yeah this place should be shut down.

taledrayes avatar
B. A.
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I've worked fast food and sit down dining, the condition of this restaurant kitchen is beyond anything that I have ever seen. Even during holidays and sports events none of the kitchens I worked in on their busiest days even remotely looked like this one. I'm also calling BS on this being the Hampton Hooters, I've been to that one including during the stated month and year and the kitchen did not look like that. This particular Hooters is 10 minutes from Huntington Ingalls ship building, Liebherr mining, and several other large industrial and manufacturing companies as well as Naval and Air Force facilities and Nasa so it's visited by people in positions of power who would be on the phone about the conditions if they existed. I've also visited the Hooters in Virginia Beach which is also close to military installations and tourist destinations and the conditions there are generally B+ to A-.

sassybooie avatar
Meeow
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I ain't surprised all of this, it always the management fault and what are you expected fast food joint with all them girls working there, kinda like you order your food at the stripper joint. We never eat there though.

dopethronepunkuk avatar
HoffLensMetalHedLovesAnimalsUK
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

One of the comments "You should learn to cook for yourself", no the point of paying a restaurant to cook you food is so you DON'T have to cook, so get a mechanic who rips you off for repairs that aren't needed, well tough luck you should learn how to fix your car yourself, f**k off!

davidburca avatar
3xtr3m3
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

This comment has been deleted.

claesjohangustavsson avatar
Claes Gustavsson
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That restaurant would be shut down on the spot in Sweden by the health department. They do unannounced visits to restaurants all the time. Doesn't it work like that in the US? Oh, and we don't have Hooters. It would never work ...

mommyofanangel38 avatar
Annamarie Dodge
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

it is obvious to me that most of those comments are from people that have never worked in real restaurants. NEVER is a kitchen supposed to be in such a state of filth and disrepair...looks to me like the state needs to pay them a visit and shut them down. that isnt from one day or even one week's worth of filth... Every single restaurant I have worked for, and even school cafeterias I have worked for, are run in a certain way....nothing is EVER to be thrown on the floor, gloves are changed off several times per day, utensils and cooking equipment are cleaned every single night, so are the walls, steam tables, floors, etc... I liked hooters the one time i ate there, but if this is how they are taught to run them, rest assured, i will never eat there again...

kim_lorton avatar
Kim Lorton
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Or, time to fire everyone and restart it, after firing the big bosses for either knowing about this and ignoring it, or being too busy to make surprise inspections! That keeps workers on their toes, and a good place to work, where workers are valued, promoted within the company’s structure, and the pay is decent. Value all your workers! The best ideas for improvement, comes from your workers that care! Implement a program for improvement ideas and then bonus pay the employee with great ideas! Your company, eatery will be around a good long time!

dabbi_dabbi avatar
Davið Freyr Einarsson
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Ive been working in kitchens all my life, and worked in alot of different kitchens and believe me it dosnt matter how fkn busy you are you dont leave a fish on the ground. You pick it up it takes a couple seconds if you can scratch your but you can pick up a fish.

bredanthegreat avatar
Bredan TheGreat
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

This was super eye-opening. I wonder how many other Hooter's look like this

devil_ avatar
devi L.
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That's disgusting but would be so satisfying to clean

guysalsburg avatar
Guy Salsburg
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

In the 1980-90s (after retiring fm the Army) I worked as the restaurant mgr in two restaurants. There was no way in hell I would let the kitchen or front of the restaurant get like in these photos. The mgrs are responsible & are failing at their jobs. These mgrs shud be retrained or replaced & the kitchen staff needs retraining. I closed my restaurants for one day to retrain all staff members & hire/train new staff. This Hooters shud do the same.

lmcn avatar
L McN
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

1) Yes, when it gets busy you tend to make more of a mess. 2) The mess here is weeks if not months of plain neglect, not just one day of being busy. 3) Even if floored with customers ALL DAY you are required to meet certain standards, this is far from it. 4) Even a McDonald's, who employs mainly teenagers who don't care and pays them a wage that is sad and as low as you can get, has a far cry better standard than these images portray. 5) Regardless of the reason someone visits a Hooters they must meet health standards for the preparation of food since that is their stated business.

amanda_avey avatar
Amanda Avey
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Too many comments are defending this kitchen! I've worked in fast food places lots of times, and even McDonald's kitchen looks immaculate compared to this nastiness.

billybeecham avatar
Billy Beecham
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Totally uncalled for. Totally wrong. Owner is top person at fault. Followed quickly by any staff member who sets foot it kitchen or has any idea what kitchen looks like. Sorry, but there is just no excuse for that. I worked at a chinese restaurant and they were hella slammed constantly and the place was immaculate. Now all those articles and news reports of people being poisoned make sense. Good grief! I suspect that similar conditions are why we are constantly reading about outbreaks of listeria and salmonella in the fruits and veggie industry. This type of behavior has got to stop. Disgusting.

ealizabethane avatar
Lisa Shaw
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

As concerned as I am about the possibly disgusting food coming out of this kitchen, I'm really concerned about the employees. I have worked in food service and never met a manager that didn't lose their s**t if there was something on floor, even water that could cause an accident and injure someone. If the health department isn't concerned or interested in this place, the labour board might be.

kim_lorton avatar
Kim Lorton
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I want to know what happened! It either cleaned up its act or closed for good! And what did the bosses of the managers say? Time to fire the managers and find new people after a good cleaning. If it were me, I would have called the health dept. immediately! But I was a nurse, so all I can think is, sick people that had no idea why they got sick!

janedon avatar
jane don
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I've been around restaurants most of my life from childhood on--& very few of them are like this--The big chains (where customers can't see) are usually the worse because there are no owners present & they pay the least- Things are clean & shiny out front where customers see--chains are often understaffed to increase profits for people who are never there---(making money with 0 Work involved)- Paying people to Clean/take time to obey health & safety regulations dos'nt increase profits for stockholders ect- Watching this makes me think about Donald Trump & the Republicans saying that businesses have Too many rules to follow & deregulating them even more--

kittycatkyla23 avatar
Kyla Eisler
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Yeah, those comments are garbage. I've worked minimum wage restaurants my whole life so far, and I can say with confidence that even the shittiest place I worked did not look like that on the worse nights, with 20 tickets and we close in an hour. Everyone saying that minimum equates to unhealthy work environment is talking out their a*s. If you can't pass a health inspection, there is no restaurant, period. So being minimum wage or five star makes no difference. You are providing people who are paying you to make safe food. It should be made without worry of food poisoning. If 'you want to eat in a restaurant with a clean kitchen you should cook for yourself', was every restaurants line of thinking, we would not have restaurants. You do not touch raw chicken then touch cooked chicken with the same gloves. Not even McDonalds will let that s**t pass.

glennsheldon avatar
lumpy
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

You can look at the history of the Hampton Hooters violations here: http://healthspace.com/Clients/VDH/Hampton/web.nsf/formFacility.xsp?id=9D4D24A230D0875088256A9C00837DCB

eizalopezd avatar
ptm45
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

seriously? i doubt they're as busy as a fast food chain and we can see that those restaurants could maintain a clean and organized cooking area from beginning to end.

tooldude500 avatar
James Ginder
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

It's obvious that isn't just one night worth. It's an example of today's lousy labor force. I'm in the service business and have been in lots of busy kitchens. none of them looked like this. Anyone who says this is normal must be a pig as well. this place looks like the joint you come to for p**s in your potatoes or some guy s**t on your tomatoes now get ready for some boogers and cum I refer to "SOUTH PARK YELPER'S SPECIAL" google yelper's special youtube

leoh avatar
Leo H
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

First off..it's hooters...not a 5 star restraunt. It serves basically bar food. The pics are of a restraunt in the middle of the day...ofcourse it isn't gonna be super clean

machanno avatar
Hanno Van Der Woude
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Americans should stop complaining and start by paying decent money for their food. This is what you get if you order diner for less then 20 US.

redsongamble avatar
TheExtremeSmell
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Never thought the words hooters secretly filmed and disgusted would just be about their kitchen. Boooring

i2027594 avatar
Valerie Lessard
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

its America right? So they get paid peanuts, what do you want.

nickyoldfielddesciple avatar
Nicky OldfieldDesciple
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What kind of comment is that that if I want to eat in a restaurant with a clean kitchen I should learn to cook for myself and that most working kitchens look like this??. Maybe that is the what it is like where Shaun Hicks lives but thankfully not everywhere. My Brother used to be a head chef if several hotels and restaurants and had a degree in food science and preperation and he would have a major meltdown if he saw this. He gave me a serve one day when we were doing the dishes in my mother's kitchen and I scratched my head and then picked up a plate to dry. And I can happily say that about most restaurants. Even the Mc Donald's I worked in years ago was meticulous about hygene. This place is disgusting and should be shut down. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't cause an outbreak of food poisoning.

h-lane17 avatar
Han
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I quit a job after 3 hours in a kitchen (I was the dish pig) they only gave me 3 tea towels to use for a full lunch service. F*****g gross and I couldn't be part of it.

Load More Replies...
l_hellsing avatar
Mica Fiverline
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

erm, maybe this is a cultural thing, but I've worked in a few kitchens in my life (one of them was of a well-known burger franchise) and NONE ever looked like that! (I live in Germany, btw) Sure, when it gets busy, it might look a BIT disorganized and messy but seriously, there wasn't like a few moments to dust off the counters?! Even during lunch rush on the burger chain it never looked like this! I fully understand that kitchens aren't always clean to squeak, but this is just plain gross! And implying that it is merely a normal dinner rush is just absurd. They serve chicken for heaven sake! Salmonella is no joke!

lesleafreeman avatar
Leslea Freeman
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You are so right! That was DIRTY!! Not messy, not disorganised, it was DIRTY!!. Does the U.S not have restaurant inspections? That was months of grime. Must be an American thing!

Load More Replies...
misstea2020 avatar
Moo Moo Futch
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, the type of people who eat in Hooters aren't gonna be looking at the floor or their plates are they?

paula_mary_hannon avatar
Paula Hannon
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Also to be fair going to Hooters is not an excuse for people to be okay with this, plenty of people could still get sick and die from those unsanitary conditions.

Load More Replies...
edc_82 avatar
Lola
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those comments are complete garbage. I worked in restaurants before and none of the kitchens looked like that. If in your eyes that is normal, then you need to re-evaluate your cleaning skills. A restaurant like that should be immediately shut down. Its so called managers need to hit the bricks as well. No excuse for such nastiness.

carol_milne1960 avatar
Carol Milne
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked the restaurant business for decades. I never saw a kitchen in a state like this in all my years. I started in McDonalds when I was 13 and the place was immaculate even after a rush . Once a month we would do an all nighter to clean areas that wouldn’t be done daily like the line. One restaurant would power wash every night right to the ceiling. This is a prefect example of not paying a good wage to kitchen staff and treating them well. This place would be shut down in a nano second here in Toronto. We have multiple inspections for restaurants. This is a disgrace.

sarah-lennie avatar
TheKnightOwl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even if it was a "rough night", there is no excuse for this. Anyone who has worked in the industry knows this isn't the result of one busy night. That's filthy. They'd be shut down here.

4msaya avatar
xzone avatar
chrishill avatar
Notsoswift
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like most restaurants I worked in but at the end of the night we cleaned everything. These pictures only give a snapshot.

dongpavdk avatar
DP von Icecream
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love women, I love boobs (sorry for this, but I am male & I simply can't help it....). But WHY would you choose a (dressed) titty bar instead of a good restaurant to get your food....?

wil_vanderheijden avatar
Wil Vanderheijden
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could never figure out why you would visit a place like hooters and why the concept is so popular.

Load More Replies...
ashleerudolph avatar
Stormapotamus
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked in a handful of restaurants and none of them looked even close to this disgusting.

dawngree avatar
Dawn Thompson Greenwood
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work in a cafe and even on our busiest nights our kitchen doesn't look like this. There is no excuse for this filth. I wouldn't eat or drink anything from that place. Yuck!

barbertj23 avatar
T.J. Barber
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm totally on the side of people who think this is pretty normal. The critiques just seem to be coming from people privileged enough to have never worked in a kitchen. What is so bad? No, really? A guy has some flour on him and there's stuff on the floor? Do you eat off the floor? There's crumbs on the banister around the fryer? You don't eat those, they don't touch your food. The fryer is 300 degrees, you want them to constantly take a rag to burning hot metal just so it looks nicer? All of the cooks are wearing gloves, all are being safe with the food, the garbages have liners and there's multiple garbages in reach for each cook, they're moving back and forth in a crowded area, constantly passing each other, do you know how dangerous it would be for them to bend down and clean the floor constantly? You'd get servers and other cooks running into you, while surrounded by hot cooking appliances.

marmitejim avatar
marmitejim
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's Hooters, why is anyone surprised the kitchen looks like backstage at a peep show..?

graybeard avatar
gray beard
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All I know is everyone not just the guy filming it could see this kitchen and they still ordered and ate the food. The guy filming it wasn't hiding in a closet and I think the staff new every now and then he pointed his phone at the ceiling that was his idea of being sneaky ha ha. I have to be honest though there is no way after seeing that kitchen I would eat anything coming out of it. I am not a germaphobe but these people either had a lot of booze with their lunch or all the restaurants around there must look like that and they are just used to it. How many of you would have eaten the food coming out of that kitchen honestly ?

ptoddchesser avatar
Trash Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of the folks in the comments shown in the article are imbeciles. Yes kitchens do get dirty through the course of shift but when I ran a restaurant, this was NEVER how my kitchen looked. I had someone go down and sweep the line, if it was really bad, I'd have someone spot mop too. The management of this place stopped caring. The mess you see didn't just happen in one shift. Those fryers have not been cleaned in weeks.

stuffedbear avatar
Ben Dover
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "customer" that supposedly shot the video (from his seat at the bar?) is not the most reliable of people.........Kurt Edward Fortner Jr. of Newport News, identified as the driver of the silver Chrysler, was in fair condition at a hospital Tuesday. When he is released from the hospital, he will be charged with reckless driving, driving under suspension, driving under the influence, evade and elude and two counts of maiming while driving under the influence, a police news release said.

glennsheldon avatar
lumpy
Community Member
4 years ago (edited)

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

You’re going to discount the video because he was arrested for something unrelated 5 years prior?

Load More Replies...
niahooton_1 avatar
NHwolfShadow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who even lets a place become this dirty. 1 I'm almost 100% sure it's illegal to have a kitchen that serves food to the public this dirty.2 how the hell do the employees feel about working in these facilities I mean it's horrible.

dirigobill avatar
Bill
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The photo of the open trash can and cooking oil right next to the burners of the fryer concerns me the most

awthrawthr avatar
Kelley Eidem
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a health inspector or two who ought to be investigated as well. How much cash do they have in their freezer?

idrow avatar
Id row
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of those comments were ridiculous. I've worked in a few restaurants and bar and grills and have never seen any kitchen as filthy as that. That's not from one night of being busy. That's a kitchen that doesn't get cleaned, period. And if there's raw chicken on the floor and they're cross contaminating the food by using the same utensils, that's just terrible management.

launerjennifer avatar
TwiceRice23
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This comments are seriously messed up. I'd like to see any one of them eat at a restaurant that looks like this and be okay with it.

scunk avatar
Ian Bodey
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Thank F**k I don’t live in america, we don’t have hooters here in the UK. Even if they did I wouldn’t eat there for all the tea in China.....I was eating my dinner when I looked at this I think I threw up in my mouth. On the light side looks like my kitchen when the wife is cooking...

liverpoolroze avatar
Rose the Cook
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

So many comments refer to the fact that people go to Hooters to perv on the big busted waitresses rather than to eat the food. Anywhere that serves food must by law maintain the premesis in reasonably clean condition no matter how busy.The problem is that in most places anyone can open a food outlet with no qualifications or training and no idea of how to run it. They then employ equally untrained people at minimum wages so what can you expect.

obviouslyfakename avatar
genzennial
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

It's Hooters. If you eat the food it's your mistake. Just because it isn't good. Everyone is just fooled by the tits. This shouldn't've happened but I'm honestly not surprised. Also yeah this place should be shut down.

taledrayes avatar
B. A.
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I've worked fast food and sit down dining, the condition of this restaurant kitchen is beyond anything that I have ever seen. Even during holidays and sports events none of the kitchens I worked in on their busiest days even remotely looked like this one. I'm also calling BS on this being the Hampton Hooters, I've been to that one including during the stated month and year and the kitchen did not look like that. This particular Hooters is 10 minutes from Huntington Ingalls ship building, Liebherr mining, and several other large industrial and manufacturing companies as well as Naval and Air Force facilities and Nasa so it's visited by people in positions of power who would be on the phone about the conditions if they existed. I've also visited the Hooters in Virginia Beach which is also close to military installations and tourist destinations and the conditions there are generally B+ to A-.

sassybooie avatar
Meeow
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I ain't surprised all of this, it always the management fault and what are you expected fast food joint with all them girls working there, kinda like you order your food at the stripper joint. We never eat there though.

dopethronepunkuk avatar
HoffLensMetalHedLovesAnimalsUK
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

One of the comments "You should learn to cook for yourself", no the point of paying a restaurant to cook you food is so you DON'T have to cook, so get a mechanic who rips you off for repairs that aren't needed, well tough luck you should learn how to fix your car yourself, f**k off!

davidburca avatar
3xtr3m3
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

This comment has been deleted.

claesjohangustavsson avatar
Claes Gustavsson
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That restaurant would be shut down on the spot in Sweden by the health department. They do unannounced visits to restaurants all the time. Doesn't it work like that in the US? Oh, and we don't have Hooters. It would never work ...

mommyofanangel38 avatar
Annamarie Dodge
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

it is obvious to me that most of those comments are from people that have never worked in real restaurants. NEVER is a kitchen supposed to be in such a state of filth and disrepair...looks to me like the state needs to pay them a visit and shut them down. that isnt from one day or even one week's worth of filth... Every single restaurant I have worked for, and even school cafeterias I have worked for, are run in a certain way....nothing is EVER to be thrown on the floor, gloves are changed off several times per day, utensils and cooking equipment are cleaned every single night, so are the walls, steam tables, floors, etc... I liked hooters the one time i ate there, but if this is how they are taught to run them, rest assured, i will never eat there again...

kim_lorton avatar
Kim Lorton
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Or, time to fire everyone and restart it, after firing the big bosses for either knowing about this and ignoring it, or being too busy to make surprise inspections! That keeps workers on their toes, and a good place to work, where workers are valued, promoted within the company’s structure, and the pay is decent. Value all your workers! The best ideas for improvement, comes from your workers that care! Implement a program for improvement ideas and then bonus pay the employee with great ideas! Your company, eatery will be around a good long time!

dabbi_dabbi avatar
Davið Freyr Einarsson
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Ive been working in kitchens all my life, and worked in alot of different kitchens and believe me it dosnt matter how fkn busy you are you dont leave a fish on the ground. You pick it up it takes a couple seconds if you can scratch your but you can pick up a fish.

bredanthegreat avatar
Bredan TheGreat
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

This was super eye-opening. I wonder how many other Hooter's look like this

devil_ avatar
devi L.
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That's disgusting but would be so satisfying to clean

guysalsburg avatar
Guy Salsburg
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

In the 1980-90s (after retiring fm the Army) I worked as the restaurant mgr in two restaurants. There was no way in hell I would let the kitchen or front of the restaurant get like in these photos. The mgrs are responsible & are failing at their jobs. These mgrs shud be retrained or replaced & the kitchen staff needs retraining. I closed my restaurants for one day to retrain all staff members & hire/train new staff. This Hooters shud do the same.

lmcn avatar
L McN
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

1) Yes, when it gets busy you tend to make more of a mess. 2) The mess here is weeks if not months of plain neglect, not just one day of being busy. 3) Even if floored with customers ALL DAY you are required to meet certain standards, this is far from it. 4) Even a McDonald's, who employs mainly teenagers who don't care and pays them a wage that is sad and as low as you can get, has a far cry better standard than these images portray. 5) Regardless of the reason someone visits a Hooters they must meet health standards for the preparation of food since that is their stated business.

amanda_avey avatar
Amanda Avey
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Too many comments are defending this kitchen! I've worked in fast food places lots of times, and even McDonald's kitchen looks immaculate compared to this nastiness.

billybeecham avatar
Billy Beecham
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Totally uncalled for. Totally wrong. Owner is top person at fault. Followed quickly by any staff member who sets foot it kitchen or has any idea what kitchen looks like. Sorry, but there is just no excuse for that. I worked at a chinese restaurant and they were hella slammed constantly and the place was immaculate. Now all those articles and news reports of people being poisoned make sense. Good grief! I suspect that similar conditions are why we are constantly reading about outbreaks of listeria and salmonella in the fruits and veggie industry. This type of behavior has got to stop. Disgusting.

ealizabethane avatar
Lisa Shaw
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

As concerned as I am about the possibly disgusting food coming out of this kitchen, I'm really concerned about the employees. I have worked in food service and never met a manager that didn't lose their s**t if there was something on floor, even water that could cause an accident and injure someone. If the health department isn't concerned or interested in this place, the labour board might be.

kim_lorton avatar
Kim Lorton
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I want to know what happened! It either cleaned up its act or closed for good! And what did the bosses of the managers say? Time to fire the managers and find new people after a good cleaning. If it were me, I would have called the health dept. immediately! But I was a nurse, so all I can think is, sick people that had no idea why they got sick!

janedon avatar
jane don
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I've been around restaurants most of my life from childhood on--& very few of them are like this--The big chains (where customers can't see) are usually the worse because there are no owners present & they pay the least- Things are clean & shiny out front where customers see--chains are often understaffed to increase profits for people who are never there---(making money with 0 Work involved)- Paying people to Clean/take time to obey health & safety regulations dos'nt increase profits for stockholders ect- Watching this makes me think about Donald Trump & the Republicans saying that businesses have Too many rules to follow & deregulating them even more--

kittycatkyla23 avatar
Kyla Eisler
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Yeah, those comments are garbage. I've worked minimum wage restaurants my whole life so far, and I can say with confidence that even the shittiest place I worked did not look like that on the worse nights, with 20 tickets and we close in an hour. Everyone saying that minimum equates to unhealthy work environment is talking out their a*s. If you can't pass a health inspection, there is no restaurant, period. So being minimum wage or five star makes no difference. You are providing people who are paying you to make safe food. It should be made without worry of food poisoning. If 'you want to eat in a restaurant with a clean kitchen you should cook for yourself', was every restaurants line of thinking, we would not have restaurants. You do not touch raw chicken then touch cooked chicken with the same gloves. Not even McDonalds will let that s**t pass.

glennsheldon avatar
lumpy
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

You can look at the history of the Hampton Hooters violations here: http://healthspace.com/Clients/VDH/Hampton/web.nsf/formFacility.xsp?id=9D4D24A230D0875088256A9C00837DCB

eizalopezd avatar
ptm45
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

seriously? i doubt they're as busy as a fast food chain and we can see that those restaurants could maintain a clean and organized cooking area from beginning to end.

tooldude500 avatar
James Ginder
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

It's obvious that isn't just one night worth. It's an example of today's lousy labor force. I'm in the service business and have been in lots of busy kitchens. none of them looked like this. Anyone who says this is normal must be a pig as well. this place looks like the joint you come to for p**s in your potatoes or some guy s**t on your tomatoes now get ready for some boogers and cum I refer to "SOUTH PARK YELPER'S SPECIAL" google yelper's special youtube

leoh avatar
Leo H
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

First off..it's hooters...not a 5 star restraunt. It serves basically bar food. The pics are of a restraunt in the middle of the day...ofcourse it isn't gonna be super clean

machanno avatar
Hanno Van Der Woude
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Americans should stop complaining and start by paying decent money for their food. This is what you get if you order diner for less then 20 US.

redsongamble avatar
TheExtremeSmell
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Never thought the words hooters secretly filmed and disgusted would just be about their kitchen. Boooring

i2027594 avatar
Valerie Lessard
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

its America right? So they get paid peanuts, what do you want.

Popular on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda