Questions answered
There are 52 questions about “Restaurant hygiene” in the “How do you operate?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 1. Since the media on Norovirus, what are the hygiene standards in MacDonalds or Burger King restaurants?
-
McDonald's can only speak for itself, and assures you that the company maintains the highest standards of hygiene and food safety. All restaurant staff receives hygiene training when they start work. This training continues throughout their employment with McDonald's. McDonald's restaurant staff that are handling or preparing food must wash their hands at least every 30 minutes. Other staff not handling food washes their hands at least every 60 minutes. Staff members are also trained to wash their hands before starting work, after using the toilet, and after doing anything that may have contaminated their hands. Cleanliness in the restaurants is very important to McDonald's and hand washing is monitored on a day-to-day business as part of the managers' daily checklist of tasks. All McDonald's restaurants follow a 'clean-as-you-go' procedure, by which floors and surfaces are cleaned throughout the day as required. There is also a more detailed cleaning of kitchen equipment and surfaces, tables, chairs, floors, toilets etc., once the restaurant has closed.
Hope this puts your mind at rest!
(January 2008)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 2. I have been informed that McDonalds and Burger King use nut oil to clean their machines is this true. How can you be sure there is not cross contamination in fast food outlets?
-
McDonald’s apologises for the delay in answering your question. As the site went through some technical updates and changes, some of the questions slipped through. However, everything is functioning better and your question has now been answered – Thank you for you patience. Rest assured there is no truth to this, all the equipment in McDonald’s restaurants is cleaned with special hygienic cleaning materials according to a schedule which can vary from every 2 hours, to twice a day, daily and weekly depending on the item. All items are cleaned using a four step method: scrub, rinse, sanitise, and air dry. All restaurants must use cleaning chemicals from an approved McDonald’s supplier. All restaurants also operate a 'Clean as you go' policy which means all employees clean up as they work. The only oil used is 100% vegetable oil and it is only used in fryers for cooking the food.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 3. What do you use to clean the kitchen floors and surfaces? Are the cleaning products harmful?
-
Many of the cleaning chemicals are specially designed for McDonald's. Specific floor cleaner and different detergents and disinfectants are used for the various surfaces and equipment within the restaurant. None of these cleaning products are classified as harmful.
(May 2008)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 4. My cousin's friend's teacher said she found a human tooth in one of your cheese burgers. How can this be?
-
Thank you for your question and sorry for the slow response - unfortunately your question seemed to have slipped through the records. McDonald's is not aware of this event happening in any of its restaurants. Food safety and hygiene are matters of paramount importance at McDonald's. There are steps throughout McDonald’s supply chain and preparation protocols to ensure that its food is of the highest quality, and help prevent the kind of incident that you mentioned from happening. If you or your cousin's friend's teacher have any more information on this matter, and it was relatively recent, please contact the Customer Service Team on 08705 244622.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 5. How often do you claen your chip oven
-
There are no chip ovens used in McDonald’s restaurants as the fries are cooked in a vat. These vats are cleaned every night as part of the detailed cleaning routine and the cooking oil used is filtered every day.
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 6. You say "any items dropped on the floor are immediately thrown away." You could tell me God exists, it doesn't mean it's true though.
-
McDonald's can confidently reassure you that any food that has fallen to the floor is discarded immediately and is not permitted to be served. The company is not aware of any incidents where this procedure has not been followed. Such a serious incident would result in immediate and swift disciplinary action from the company.
If you feel that on any visit to a McDonald's restaurant there is evidence of bad hygiene and food safety standards, McDonald's would like to hear of it immediately. Please contact the Customer Service Team on 08705 244622 and they can fully investigate any issues on your behalf.
(December 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 7. How often do you wash the trays in your restaurants? Often they look pretty dirty.
-
Customer trays are wiped after every use with a sanitised cloth. They are also cleaned at the end of each day using McDonald’s 4-step cleaning process. This process comprises of a thorough hot and soapy wash down, rinse, sanitise and air-dry. If you continue to see trays that are not clean to these high standards, please bring it to the attention of the restaurant manager who will be able to fully investigate the matter.
(November 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 8. I am doing a College Report on Hygeine and wanted to know how often you clean the kitchens and extractions?
-
Maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in McDonald’s restaurants is a top priority. Dining tables are sanitised and wiped throughout the day using a 'Clean As You Go' principle. A more detailed clean of the restaurants and kitchens take place every night, while other areas like walls or ceilings are cleaned weekly or monthly. McDonald's receives many questions from students, and as such have developed a great Students Information Pack that has some interesting facts and detailed information on the type of subjects that you are interested in. If you would like a pack please contact the McDonald's Education Service, McDonald's Restaurants Ltd, 11-59 High Rd, East Finchley, London, NW2 8AW. Phone: 020 8700 7365. You can also receive a pack by emailing rowlands.office@btconnect.com with your request.
(October 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 9. my local mac donalds had a staff problem where a number of people were damaging burgers with deliberately spitting on them and dropping them on the floor then sending them thru wrapped and cooked for customers, these people were caught when one owned up to it, what measures do you take to stop this happening.
-
Any misconduct, especially pertaining to food safety and the well-being of McDonald's customers, would be dealt with seriously and any members of staff found culpable after a thorough investigation would be dealt with according to the misconduct procedures in place. The system in the kitchens and in the restaurant is rigorous and monitored constantly by the restaurant manager so any such misdemeanours are very rare. The Customer Services team would be interested in hearing the details of the incident you refer to so that they can ensure that it has been dealt with appropriately, please call 08705 244622.
(May 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 10. are all your restaurants hygenic because i have heard stories about mice being in them!!!
-
Restaurant hygiene and food safety is of the utmost importance to McDonald’s, and restaurant staff are well-trained in this area. McDonald’s restaurants are subject to the most stringent hygiene and safety directives and any reports of suspected infestation would be dealt with immediately. You might be interested to hear that a number of McDonald’s restaurants have recently been awarded four five-star, 50 four-star and two three-star awards in the ‘Quick Service/Fast Food Restaurants Category’ of The Loo of the Year Awards 2006. An inspector visits restaurants that provide ‘away from home’ facilities for customers and staff. Stars are awarded on a scale of one to five against a wide range of criteria including décor, and overall standards of cleanliness and management. If you do notice anything in McDonald's that you feel is unhygienic, please speak to the restaurant manager or call the Customer Services Team on 08705 244 622 so that your concerns can be investigated.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 11. why are the toilets dirty and why are there no ladies sanitary bins in the toilets when you need them? it's all sily if you ask me.
-
Cleanliness is very important to McDonald's, and the company prides itself on high standards. Toilets are cleaned daily on an ongoing basis throughout the day. Sanitary bin contracts are arranged centrally for most restaurants and units should be present in all female toilets. If this isn’t the case, please talk to the restaurant manager about this or contact the Customer Services Team on 08705 244 622 or by visiting the ‘Contact Us’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 12. how clean are your kitchen surfaces befor cooking?
-
The kitchen and equipment is cleaned before any food preparation begins. There is a ‘clean as you go’ system in operation, which means that cleaning is continuous throughout the day. When the restaurant closes at night and the equipment is turned off, a more detailed cleaning procedure is undertaken. In a 24 hour restaurant, the more detailed clean happens at the quietest time of night. Disinfectants are used for both the ongoing cleaning and the detailed cleaning. These procedures ensure that all McDonald’s kitchens meet the high standards of cleanliness set by McDonald’s and UK food Industry standards.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 13. With Restaurants How often are there Chicken/Fry "Dropped" and how often are the grills cleaned on an average days?
-
It is difficult to say how often things are dropped in McDonald’s restaurants on an average day but any food that is accidentally dropped on the floor during preparation or cooking is immediately thrown away. Grills are cleaned throughout the day and at night, when the grill can be turned off and a more detailed cleaning procedure is carried out.
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 14. Why do the washrooms in McDonald's China (specifically, FuJian, FuZhou province) not meet your acclaimed "quality standards?"
-
This website is operated by McDonald's UK and as such primarily deals with questions and issues relating to McDonald's restaurants in the UK. For more information regarding McDonald's in other countries visit www.mcdonalds.com and use the 'restaurant locator' to find the country of your choice. Alternatively you can go directly to McDonald's China at http://www.mcdonalds.com.cn/. (July 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 15. I see that you have responded 'no' to a lot of the negative questions regarding the rumours about McDonald's bad hygiene practices, mice in food etc. How can you really manage your franchise network to be sure that 'no' is really the right answer, and that it continues to be so?
-
Both franchised and company owned restaurants are subject to the same checks and audits including regular inspections by company personnel and external Mystery Shoppers who report back on what they find. These checks are designed to ensure that all the restaurants meet the high standards demanded by customers and the company.
A number of McDonald's restaurants were recently awarded five-star, four-star and three-star awards in the ‘Quick Service/Fast Food Restaurants Category’ of The Look of the Year Awards 2006: Stars are awarded on a scale of one to five against a wide range of criteria including décor, and overall standards of cleanliness and management. The company also relies on feedback from its customers, so if you ever notice any practices that don't seem to comply with your expectations, please call the Customer Services team on 08705 244 622 who will ensure that any comment is thoroughly investigated.
(May 2007)
Email this to a friend
Bookmark with:
What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon
