Fast Food & Fake Fingernails
Posted: March 2, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: artificial nails, customer service, Eating, fast food, fast food customer service numbers, food, humor, postaweek 35 Comments
Say hi to pseudomonas (image via CDC/wikimedia)
I don’t always eat fast food. But when I do, it won’t be served by anyone with those long fake fingernails. I think they are unsanitary and have no place around anything I am going to consume.
I’m taking a stand, and hope you will too.
Just Yesterday Morning
I was out-of-town yesterday morning. I got up, left my hotel and stopped at a fast food restaurant to grab something to eat on the way home. At the counter, I ordered while looking up at the menu. As I told the woman taking my order what I wanted, she entered it into her register. I heard the tell-tale tap tap tap of what I knew were ridiculously long fingernails on the plastic surface of the register. The sound made my stomach lurch. Those things creep me out.
Fingernails gather dirt and germs. Those long fake fingernails gather more dirt and germs. That’s pretty obvious – more surface area, more dirt and germs. But it is worse than what is obvious. Artificial nails provide a chance for bacteria and fungi to grow in between the natural and the artificial nails. Yummy, right?
If fungus is growing between the natural and artificial nails, is there an amount of hand washing that would destroy that fungus? If there is, I don’t have faith in the average fast food worker to meet that standard of cleanliness when they arrive at work. The only conclusion I can reasonably reach is that some amount of that fungus and germs moves from those nails to my food, or its packaging. From there, it is a short leap to me.
This is not acceptable.
I Will No Longer Eat Food Prepared Or Served By Anyone With Long Fake Nails
Yesterday morning I took out the food I ordered and tried to eat it. But all I could think of was the sound of those nails and how long they were.
Squirrels, fish, whatever. (Image via Wikipedia)
These were not fingernails, they were talons. If hawks had claws like the woman who served me breakfast, there would not be any squirrels left on earth. Her hands had some long pterodactyl claws. What on earth was under those things? I didn’t know. I knew I didn’t want to eat it.
I decided I have had enough. I am not going to tolerate that nauseated feeling I get every time I get handed food by someone with those claws. I want you to join me.
Walk Out
From now on, if I walk into a restaurant and find that I’m to be served by a person with claws, I am leaving. I will leave without ordering anything. I will go to my car, and I will contact the restaurant’s customer service to let them know why I chose not to patronize their establishment on that day.
People choose their own appearance. I get that. I’m not railing against tattoos, or a hair cut. I’m complaining about the only body part that comes in contact with the food they’re serving me.
I deserve service from a person whose fashion choices do not interfere with my need to not eat fingernail borne fungus. I will choose to contact customer service and let them know why I’m not contributing to their profit margin on that particular day.
Rise Up!
Are you with me? It is time to act.
Commit to yourself, to your health. Make the choice to no longer consume fingernail borne pathogens. You can get a burger down the street, served by someone with tidy human hands. All you have to do is walk away. All you’re losing is time.
All you’re losing is time, and pseudomonas, and cladosporium.
Fast Food Chain Customer Service Numbers
Operators are standing by. Tell them we don't like those nails. (image via wikimedia)
Jack In The Box – 1-800-955-5225
McDonalds – 1-800-244-6227
Burger King – 305-378-3535
Wendy’s – (614) 764-3100 , in Canada – (905) 849-7685
Taco Bell – 1-800-Taco Bell
Chik-Fil-A – 1-866-232-2040
KFC – 1-800-225-5532
Blurt 
Fingernails are OK, but I’ve seen some guys with goatees have to wear beard hairnets?
Why not thimbles for all?
Thimbles! I was trying to think of some protection and knew rubber gloves wouldn’t do it!
Thimbles inside rubber gloves…?
Genius!
I think we have a $10 even $15 idea on our hands. And I’m talking total gross profit.
I am surprised this hasn’t been addressed before. After all, many places require people preparing food to wear hairnets. Why? To keep hair out of the food! I don’t like hair in my food, and I REALLY don’t want a fake fingernail in there, either.
Another thing that surprises me is how many people will eat at a fast food place that is undergoing a remodel. Have they never remodeled anything or been ANYWHERE that a remodel is going on? Maybe the extra saw dust provides a dose of fiber and actually increases the nutritional value of the food.
I’m addressing it and sticking to it. Why should I pay for nausea?
Good point on remodels. I see them all the time and don’t think of it.
Sawdust is another form if fiber, so I think that’s okay.
Sheesh now you guys want to control our finger nails too. Is nothing scared?!! Just kidding. Sort of. My finger nails do not have fungus or bacteria–EVER. They are not fake they are gelled. Moderately long. Polish tasteful. Never green, black or blood red. Ridiculously long finger nails are not professional and I guarantee they get in the way of serving skills. Pushing buttons (except maybe yours) I support you in walking out of any business that makes you uncomfortable.
Oh no, not too! I think a lot of the stuff that’s being discussed is WAY out of line.
And I’m cool with you having them. There’s just certain things you give up with some occupations. I can’t have a beard and tattoos. I get that.
I’m with you on all of those except Chik-Fil-A. Their food is just too yummy. And those people are just so dang polite.
I’m willing to suck up a little bacteria with one of their milkshakes. It makes my immune system stronger.
Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever run into this at. Chik-fil-a. Good point.
I lived on top of a CFA 4 times for a charity fundraiser, 3-4 days at a clip.
I suppose I could Google this myself, but what about Subway? Haven’t they wronged you before, too?
Subway was where the guy was sitting on the trash can with his hands under his butt to keep his pants clean. Now I feel nauseated.
See what I did there? Nauseated. Thank you.
No…thank YOU.
I agree with you 100%……Any restaurant or food service organization should require food servers,cooks and food handlers to dress and groom according to health and safety standards.
I also want to say that in high school I dated a girl named Gladys Sportius. She had nice fingernails….
You didn’t see Gladys making sandwiches, did you?
I’ll support the effort. In fact, restaurant cooks/chefs should not even wear nail polish, even on short nails, because it can easily chip into food. It always irks me when I see tv chefs wearing polish, but at least they are not serving the general public. Whenever I throw a dinner party, if I’m wearing polish, I’ll remove it before I begin any food prep.
And with the exception of the tv folks, I think pros don’t have this problem. But they aren’t exempt from the rule.
You have singlehandedly ruined all fast food for me for the rest of my life until I die in my sleep next to Hot Joe who dies at the exact same time. Except the del Taco by my house. It’s all guys there. Interestingly enough, the el Pollo Loco is all pregnant women. Until Hot Joe gets a vasectomy I won’t eat there either.
Apparently there are some el pollo loco/ del taco mixers going on.
Permit me to jump on your bandwagon, Oma! I would think restaurants — even fast-food establishments — would have certain standards. Especially in this economy when they don’t actually have to hire everybody who walks in the door. And long fingernails, whether on men or women, just don’t have a place next to food. Well said!
Please, jump on the bandwagon. I’ll stop to let you get on.
I thought of that too. It’s a buyers market for employers. Why do they tolerate that?
I used to know someone who had these really long porcelain nails. She also took sugar in her coffee, and when she ordered coffee in a restaurant, she’d have to get someone else to open the little packets of sugar for her because her nails prevented her from doing it herself. I think she enjoyed the helplessness.
How can a person make themselves dependent on others for condiments? The shame!
That’s where long nails originated. The Mandarin class wanted to be seen as to not have to lift a finger.
Damn…you could crack a tooth on one of those things.
Now I’m sitting here thinking of all the fast-food places I’ve visited over the past couple of months while traveling and I’m so glad now I got my Hep shots before leaving home.
Like the old Brylcreem ads…a little stick’ll do ya. 🙂
We’re a disease ridden lot down here BD!
I work at McDonalds and ALWAYS wear fake nails. If you take care of them the bacteria wil not get in between the real ans fake. I also always wear gloves while preparing food….as do all girls wearing nails. Much more disgusting things people could do then have fake nails
Your ridiculous . I understand the long nails are ridiculous but short nails are okay. If the person chooses to wear those nails they work for them and pay them. Get over it ask them to wear gloves when preparing your meal. Ask them to wash their hands after all their nails should not be touching your food in the first place. If you really cant stand it dont eat at fast foods because u will find them. Simple
I get the idea that people are allowed to keep and use the things they buy, but if you take that logic, then they should also be able to dress however they’d like for work – that’s not the case.
It isn’t my responsibility to make sure that restaurant employees take steps to protect me from their fashion choices…and are there rubber gloves that aren’t going to be pierced by those nails?
So, you’re ridiculous.
Reblogged this on Bloody Irrational and commented:
I agree. Fake nails are unhygienic.
Every quick service restaurant I’ve worked at did not allow fake nails or polish for food handlers. Of course, there are always exceptions. Like nepotism. In which case, a nice little phone call might help the rest of the staff’s suffering as well as the hygiene issue. How’s this mission been going in recent years?
Well, I’ve sort of gone around the problem. I really don’t go to fast food places anymore. Lifestyle changes = losing a lot of weight and not getting skeeved out by this as often.
To each his own, I don’t work in food service anymore. I think I got the better end of the deal. 😁