mapleg

Ha ha...too bad there's not a photo of that.

RangerNS

Please write in. I'm sure its a contract employee and would get zero cred, but the system should be told when its doing right.

Bohemian1

Totally agree and that was my plan.

Oh, and he did the same thing for a loud mouth guy about 15 minutes later.

bocastephen

If anyone sees him smacking away the hands of people putting them into cookie jars or serving dishes, and holding a "Use a Clean Plate" sign in the face of anyone re-using their dirty dishes at the buffet, then I vote we make this guy the new general manager of lounge operations at YYZ.

ffsim

Sure, because we want a GM of lounge ops at YYZ who physically assaults patrons

bocastephen

Patrons who are dirty, spreading germs, ignoring the rules and placing the health of other patrons at risk? Sure thing, works for me ^

Ideally he could jab them with a cattle prod and yell "NO!" while people could watch for entertainment value, but that is probably asking for too much.

theBeachBoy

Why is it important to use a new plate?

Serious question.

bocastephen

This is a legal standard everywhere in the USA - you cannot re-use a dirty plate at a buffet due to cross-contamination of serving utensils coming into contact with partially eaten food. It's just so simple, but I guess it's a Canada problem because even the Peel County health inspector I sent out to raid the YYZ MLLs over unsafe health practices was confused about this and didn't get it until I explained it about 5 times. The LA County health inspector I sent to raid the LAX United Clubs over this issue understood it perfectly and forced those lounges to install warning signs and make their staff intervene when this behavior was observed or reported.

theBeachBoy

I see the concern with people not being careful. I'm not the type to double dip so it didn't cross my mind that people were not careful when putting food in their plates not to have it touch their plates.

I don't reuse my plate anyway because I'm lazy and just leave it at my table.

mapleg

Just out of interest, do you commonly send inspectors to raid restaurants or buffets, or is this just something you feel is important for airport lounges?

bocastephen

I commonly send inspectors to raid restaurants, buffets and airport lounges when I see egregious violations by staff or patrons which the staff refuse to handle. For example, I've had conversations with the manager at the Amex lounge in IAH who told me that stopping double-platers is a losing battle and he wanted to post signs at the buffet, but Amex marketing forbid him from doing so until they approved the signs. So, because he accepted there was an issue and was making an attempt to moderate it, I won't send inspectors.

Similar to the LAX *A lounge where I had similar conversations about this issue and they were busy chasing people off the buffet who were double plating or fingering, including one Canadian - surprise - patron who flat out refused to stop double plating, and we had that individual thrown out of the lounge. Management and I had a long conversation about this, and given the different cultural practices of their clientele, they are doing their best to police behavior and it's a major priority, hence no inspector is needed to go out.

Now let's look at the UA lounges where I made multiple reports to staff of double plating, and was standing with a manager while a patron, whose entire family was repeatedly reusing plates, took noodles from the serving bowl into her bowl, which was absolutely disgusting and gross from multiple trips to the buffet, then took some out and put the excess back into the serving dish. Under LA County health code, the patron should have been cautioned or ejected for repeated violations, and the entire serving dish of noodles, discarded as contaminated waste. I was furious at the manager who stood there, watched her do it, and refused to say or do anything but stood rigid like a deer in the headlights - so I sent the LA County health inspector out to do a snap raid and help the staff be more compliant going forward - per our recent phone chat, I was assured signs and policing would be in effect at the lounge. If I find this is not the case when I go back in a few weeks, I will call the inspector and he will go out and probably hand out citations to see if that helps the staff be more compliant, and customers follow the rules.

ffsim

I love that you asked this question. The condescension shown by those who feel reusing an old plate is among the most vile and egregious behaviours one can show in a buffet area is tiresome. I’ll readily admit that I’m the furthest thing from a germaphobe, so perhaps the importance of impeccable buffet hygiene mere minutes before boarding a flying tube with hundreds of fellow passengers in varying states of (un)healthiness sharing the same recirculated air for hours on end is lost on me.

So, maybe I’m the problem. Let’s go with that.

mapleg

In my student years I worked in restaurants. I can assure you that double plating at buffets is a minor transgression. If I told you some of the things I had seen occur in the back kitchen or food preparation area, you would be extremely shocked.

Fact is we humans have quite good immune systems and tolerance for all kinds of seemingly unsanitary practices. Worry more about the back kitchen, or the source of food (farm, factory, whatever) than double plating at buffets.

RangerNS

Not for nothing, but you weren't necessarily doing the manager a favor. Some strategic failure can be healthy and necessary to get senior management to care.

Matt93

This person sounds like a real treat to hangout with if all they do is send health inspectors to places.