The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Like any job, there are pros and cons to being a server. You get tips, but you also get exposed to some of the grossest parts of the restaurant industry. And let me tell you — there's a whole lot of gross.
I used to work as a waitress at a busy restaurant and have served at a few smaller food spots too, and some spots came with less-than-appealing things.
It's not like these were run-down spots either, there are just some pretty common occurrences that as a customer you don't get to see but might turn your stomach if you did. After getting to work behind the scenes, you either have to banish them from your mind or learn to pass on certain things while eating out.
I did the latter for a few things, which is why you'll rarely catch me squeezing lime into my drink while out.
So, next time you sit down at your favourite eatery, try to keep these in mind (or better yet, try not to).
The limes and lemons (spoiler alert: they might have fecal matter on them)
Let's start with a pretty common one, that most of my friends who have been servers can connect on.
The drink toppers are usually kept in little bowls or containers, which servers and bartenders alike dunk their hands into throughout the night. So basically, your limes and lemons have been touched by way too many people, and are soaking in the germs all night. Then you proceed to squeeze those germs into your drink, and maybe even suck on the fruit. So, yeah — yuck.
If you need more to convince you, one study found that around 70% of lemon wedges at the restaurants in the study "produced microbial growth."
The germs found on them included fecal matter and E. Coli, as well as some raw meat contamination.
Rats
Rats are a gross reality in some restaurants. Obviously, food places need to pass health inspections so nowhere I worked had full-on infestations, but they could be spotted sometimes.
There's nothing quite as unappetizing as seeing a rodent scurry along the kitchen floor.
The dish pit
There is literally no avoiding this one I don't think, but even thinking about my days on dish-pit duty has me queasy. There is nothing grosser than the sink full of dirty dishes, with strangers' ketchup stuck to plates.
It's one thing to do your own dishes, but the stuff people put on their plates at restaurants is next-level. A dish full of torn-up napkins mixed with food, sauce, the odd toothpick, and chewed-up pieces of gum was gag-worthy.
I'll forever have nightmares about that dish pit water.
People hitting on servers
This is a different kind of gross, but gross nonetheless. There was nothing worse than pushing through a long shift at work, only to have your customers hitting on you. It's uncomfortable, weird, and overall just not okay.
The ice can get gross too
Similar to the lemons and limes, people also are putting their hands into one big ice machine. I've watched as coworker after coworker grabbed ice cubes, and all I can think about is when the last time they washed their hands was.
The five-second-rule might apply
I've definitely seen people drop a few fries or something, and scoop them quickly back onto a plate. This wasn't encouraged, obviously, but it totally happens.
So, now that you're in the know, happy eating!
This article has been updated since it was originally published on February 4, 2023.
A Value Village in Ontario.