One employee at a McDonald’s restaurant in Australia has put the whole brand name under scrutiny for using a fries warmer to dry dirty mops.

There is video proof of the employee holding the mop under the warmer’s heat lamp to hasten the drying process. This has left many appalled and wondering what else they don’t know about that is happening within the chain’s restaurants.

When Debbie Barakat took her son to a McDonald’s restaurant in Booval, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, on April 4, 2023, she never expected to see what she saw. It was blatant misconduct in a restaurant belonging to one of the largest fast-food chains in the world. 

Barakat had been waiting for her order, positioned so that the fries warmer was within view. One glance that way caused her to see one employee cautioning the other about holding a mop under hot heat lamps. According to Barakat, the workers then looked for the mop dryer before using the fries warmer for orders. 

Shaken by the gross misconduct, Barakat whipped out her phone to get proof. She also contacted the restaurant manager, who just told her they were looking into it. The video and photos proving her allegations have since been released on the internet, and those who saw them think the worker needs to go, and customers there are reimbursed.

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Aside from the bland email they sent back to Barakat, one spokesperson for McDonald’s in Australia has confirmed the incident was isolated and is seriously being dealt with. The worker continues to work there but has hopefully learned their lesson. 

Those who watched Barakat’s video are unhappy because it reminds them of how terrible health and safety can be in the restaurant industry. One former worker of a different chain has implied that more similar misconducts happen that many don’t know about. 

This was a terrible catch, but it is not the worst thing that happens behind closed doors. There have been violent crimes, incidents where excrement has been found smeared down the slide, and times when glass was found in burgers. 

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McDonald’s is a conglomerate in the fast food industry, raking in billions annually. This means that such a small and allegedly isolated incident will barely affect the brand. There will always be people who want that burger or fries despite any reporting of misconduct. 

Earlier this year, in March, many McDonald’s restaurants suffered a technical glitch that shut down many of their locations worldwide. It happened in the morning, which meant many people who wanted breakfast from them got nothing. While they could place their orders, they could not receive them, and many complaints were made that day. 

Americans have a love-hate relationship with fast-food restaurants. Currently, about 39.6% of the adults in the country are obese, and these restaurants are not helping matters. This is understandable, as it is hard to resist the lure of cheap food and its convenience.

McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain associated with gross misconduct and employee scandals. Some make the recent mop incident seem like a tolerable thing. A good example is when Jack in the Box had an E. coli outbreak leading to the death of four kids while others were left in serious condition. 

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While food safety agencies will continue to try to ensure 100% quality and safety, recent events have proven that consumers also need to be vigilant and vocal. If you see something, say something. If an email or report to relevant parties does not work, there is always social media. 

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