I’m So Eating At Home Tonight!
WEST BEND, Wis. (AP) – A former restaurant cook who has pleaded guilty to a food-tampering charge in Washington County has been sentenced to six months behind bars and three years probation. Ryan Kropp, of West Bend, was fired along with another cook after a Feb. 23 incident at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant in West Bend.
The 24-year-old is accused of inserting hairs in a steak before giving it to a dissatisfied customer.
Kropp apologized in court Tuesday, saying he was ashamed, embarrassed and remorseful. He will be allowed work release.
This is exactly why I don’t complain about my food at a restaurant.
Is anybody else worried this probably happens more often than we realize?
I’d be curious to know how much of this happens in direct response to customer rudeness. Some people really give into the temptation to be a jerk if there’s a problem with what they ordered.
I’m with you Pete, no complaining, but not just out of fear of a hairy steak (that has a ring to it doesn’t it?). From a Christian perspective we should be there to serve even the ones that are supposed to be “serving” us even if their doing a bad job of it.
@Jeff, good point.
I just eat what they bring me the first time. My wife is a great cook, so I’d rather eat at home anyway.
I worked at a pizza place about 20 years in high school and for about a year there after. While I was a good boy, I know a couple things that happened by others that were just wrong as far as what they put in food. Teenage boys preparing a pizza for the local small town police officer who gave them a ticket and a hard time is just a bad combination. Enough said…..
LOL I used to work in a restaurant and so did my husband. We do not complain at restaurants. Ever. Ever. Ever. We both know what happens when someone complains. Not pretty. Nope.
Thankfully we are both great cooks so we don’t eat out much anyway.
Heidi
um, thats disgusting! it makes you never want to complain ever again!
I managed restaurants for 15 years and can tell ya this happens much more than I’d like to admit. Hey, I couldn’t babysit them all day long
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@Toby, I knew it!!!
Anybody else concerned over the fact that he is being allowed work release?
@ Jason Gordon, LOL, I didn’t even think of that!
Um yes! I just read last night that a lady was fired at a Burger King because she was caught taking an actual bubble bath in one of the employee sinks! Now THAT is disturbing! HA LOL
My father loves to tell a story about a trucker friend of his who went out once with another trucker so they could switch drivers and not have to have any down time. The other trucker only ate at fast food places and my dad’s friend was sick of it so their last night on the road insisted on going to a nice steakhouse. The other driver was rude to the hostess, waitress etc. He complained about everything and kept the waitress running back and forth for everything. My dad’s friend was really embarrassed. Finally their steaks came and the other driver opened his potatoe only to find a black spot. (The first thing that was really wrong with the service or the meal). When he hailed down the waitress he told her, “This potatoe is bad!” The waitress looked at the guy , picked up the potatoe, slapped it on the end and said, “Now you quit being bad!” My dad’s friend never laughed so hard and left a tip big enough for both of them.
I am so grossed out that I think that I will be eating at home for awhile… if saving money isn’t a good enough reason… this would be the winner.
Actually, it was a dude but about 3 people got fired for it.
The video of him goofing around is at…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1iyN7Y-jJQ
And his interview on TV explaining what happened and apologzing is here….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_0usyKwK70
He didn’t actually take a bath but none the less…..yuck
Wait till your boys decide to cook for you one night after you’ve grounded them!
Thanks Pete for this post today!!!LOL! We are living out of a motel and eating at restaurants or cold sandwiches for the next couple weeks!!!
I worked at two restaurants and never seen or heard of this behavior happening at these two places. What kind of people do that?? Yuck!
And the work release thing I sure hope its with the local waste management!!!!
I worked at a family owned restaurant all through high school, and more than once, I saw the cook spit on steak that was returned and reserved to the patron. I’ve NEVER complained or returned anything … and I learned that lesson 30 years ago!
YIKES – I too worry about complaining. If it’s really bad, then I might POLITELY ask them to fix it, but I’m always nice as pie just for this very reason.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!
Maybe I am just naive, but I worked in a restaurant in high school and for a few years afterward (6-7 years), but I never saw or heard of an instance where someone messed with another person’s food. The cooks were older men, however, and I would suspect that a lot of these problems come from younger Jack Ass Generation types. I think we can thank movies such as “Waiting” for sharing lovely ideas
I do know a guy that worked at a Chick-Fil-A when he was a teenager and he dropped a piece of uncooked chicken on the dirty floor and picked it up and threw it in the frier…he was fired though. (His defense was that the heat would kill the germs)
My cousin worked at a Taco Bell when she was a teenager and when someone would come through the drive through that the employees didn’t like, she said they would do horrible things to their food. So I would only eat in fear if your cook and/or server is a teenager through late college age
yes yes yes.
my man worked at a restaurant. i’m surprised he actually spends money on food that we can’t observe being prepared these days.
SCARY!
I worry more about fast food restaurants. Mostly because I worked in one during HS.
I’ll just say this: They never gave adequate potty breaks & those 5 gallon pickle buckets are full of a yellowish liquid. Pee blends in nicely.
I have a friend who tips at the drive through window (because he really is that kind and generous). Now I’m thinking that his generosity has probably paid off in more ways than he knows.
@Anita, If I wasn’t so tight, I might start that as well.
I had a restaurant gig for 7 years and never hurt anyones food….but mean people had to wait a really long time! LOL.
I didn’t use to worry til now… THANKS! LOL
We like to eat at home mostly anyway… and I don’t make hairy steaks!
I had convinced myself that it probably happens, but rarely. Now I read all these comments about people who’ve worked in restaurants and you’re freaking me out!!!!
Here’s a question: I don’t go out to eat much (really ever) but do order in with friends from time to time. Do they do things to the food they deliver too? I always tip well for fear of that, but thought I’d ask since you’re all being so forthcoming.
Anyone ever worked as a delivery person that did this? (I’m so afraid to hear the answer…)
sara
http://www.gitzengirl.blogspot.com
I know someone personally that has always worked in “family” restaurants as a server and bartender and he has told some stories about employees putting “Murine” in drinks of patrons they didn’t like because it causes horrible diarrhea.
Because we travel a lot, we end up eating out a lot and this really makes me want to ask God’s blessing on everything before we eat it! I might start praying for the employees now too! 
heck yeah bro…my brother used to work in a restaurant and told me some sick horror stories….i’m with you, i don’t complain about my food at a restaurant
What kind of hairs
YES! I believe it does. And I too am very careful not to complain about my food either for fear of this.
I had an uncle that worked at a restaraunt, and he said if we all knew what kind of stuff went on around and on our food, we wouldn’t eat out at all. So, most of the time, I’d just rather not know. Ignorance can be bliss.
Have it your way!
Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRMA84LvsJo
Dude got fired along with the camera man and the manager.
@brent(inworship), You are so wrong!!!
Was the sauce messed with?
Ewww!!
brent, youre not right!
pete – disgusting. im worried about spit. or even the unintentional drool from the bored cook.
So much for eating out. Guess this means I actually have to cook!
I went to Mcdonalds yesterday to get poor dying of thirst Asher some milk while he painfully ran errands with me. They handed me a milk that had already been opened and was 1/2 gone. I asked politely for a different one. She said “oops, that’s been happening a lot!”. NICE!
@pete, Ya…I know…
@jodyduncan that’s hilarious!
OK you are totally grossing me out with all this type of hair talk! EWWWWWW so gross.
Great, I am headed to a restaraunt tonight for a staff wives night out, yuck. Now I think I’ll just eat chips and hot sauce.
Thanks a lot. He he he
I actually was fine when I read your post, Pete.
But, after I read all the comments, I’m totally grossed out!
Thanks alot, guys!
Ewwww! This is why I don’t eat out either.
I think Waffle House seems to be accepting for work release programs…the one in bellevue had one guy who’d escaped. The only good thing about waffle house is you can see what they’re doing, and I watch ‘em like a hawk LOL
On another note, I did see on TV (hidden camera in restaurants) and they had a guy who dropped a thing of chinese noodles for the buffet, and, apparently, he was told he can pick them use the stuff he dropped as long as no regular customers see him!
@ sara: The place I worked was a pizza place. We did delivery. Not many times did anything go wrong with delivery. Mostly just running late if the restaurant inside was crowded. Delivery always got pushed behind schedule when that happened. But I do remember one time a cook dropped a lasagna on the floor as she was getting it out of the oven. It all spilled out. Since lasagna takes forever to cook she scooped it all back in the container, straightened it out a bit, topped it with tons of cheese, put it back in the oven so the cheese would melt, and off it went on delivery. Sometimes toppings on pizza would run over onto the oven wood and they’d scoop it back onto the pizza, cover it with a little cheese, and wahlah your pizza is done. That’s not as bad I suppose. Butttttt, a person who ate in the restaurant and was known to be a poor tipper or a problem child would get all kinds of rudeness they were none the wiser about. From spitting in their food, to boogers in their subs, to putting new food in dirty dishes or on a plate that had only been wiped with a paper towel to get the crumbs off. Sometimes the dishes weren’t washed until the end of the night. Cups were just wiped around the lip part with a dirty wash rag. Other things were just rinsed off and reserved. The moral of this story is “be nice to servers and they will be nice to you”. Every one talks at a restaurant. If there is a nasty customer, believe me, the whole staff knows about it.
Heidi Reed
I worked at a restaurant once and I did not see much of this going on. However, I had a nice older couple that came in regularly. One day we were chatting and they told me they had recently gone to Logan’s and ordered steaks. When food came out, the wife’s steak was not cooked enough, so they sent it back to be cooked a little longer. They got their food, ate, and left. She was sick all night, so sick they went to the hospital. The hospital was really concerned about what happened to the steak. The couple had taken leftovers home, so the husband went home and got the steak and took it back to the hospital. They tested her steak and found it had URINE all over it. Ugh! It still makes me want to gag thinking about it. Unfortunately, we are grilling steaks tonight for dinner…they are not sounding too appetizing after reading this post!
(plugging ears/covering eyes) lalalalalalalalalalalal I am still eating out tonight with the girls and am going to think good thoughts and pray a lot that no one peeds on the cook’s cheerio’s this morning. can I say peed on your blog? I guess I just did twice. ooppps!
@Kristi O, I think it’s ok to say “peed” on my blog. If it’s not I’m quite sure someone will tell us very shortly.
I have an issue with the word “peed” on blogs…
who peed on your blog???
Can you pee on a blog? Wouldn’t you really be peeing on your computer screen? In that case peeing on your blog would be a bad idea!
I try never to look in the kitchen when I’m eating out. Ignorance is bliss!
After waiting tables for over 10 years, I am smart enough to know it’s foolish to complain about your food, especially these days. If we REALLY thought about what was going on in the kitchens in restaurants across the country, we would never eat out again. I had a Pastor long ago who would always pray over his food by saying “Lord bless this food and any of the heathans who may have made it”…
@Brent I know you were just kidding, but to answer your question… and I may have just been given bad info, but I live in WI somewhat near where this happened and we had a ton of news coverage on this story and while I know you can’t always rely on what they say…the report was that they were…well let’s just say his head was shaved and they weren’t off his chin.
I never send my food back if there is a problem…I leave and never go back.
Okay…I’m never going to eat out again…
At least until this weekend…and then definitely…I am not, unless my wife and I don’t want to cook…
But, I will not, and I repeat, I will not complain!
I just barfed…thanks
I never complain at restaurants either…for this very reason. Some people (cooks) might get really insulted when a diner sends their food back…and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of how they take that!
As far as how it’s handled….i sometimes wonder, when they don’t wear gloves, how often they wash their hands between touching raw foods, or if they touch their hair or face etc. & I also wonder sometimes how hot it is in the kitchen & how much their sweating…
I like to think that there are more good, honest people who do their job well & with dignity than the opposite…so unless I’m really suspicious, or things look sketchy, I try not to think about all of the ‘what if’s’ when I’m eating out!!
@Joseph, anytime bro! That’s why I’m here. To encourage you in your walk with Christ and occasionally make you barf.
Awesome haha, I always suspected it. I guess no more asking for overly complicated off-the-menu orders, although being a vegetarian means it happens more often than I like.
I never realized this really happened until our daughter who was a server in a restaurant said that she has seen other servers spit on people’s food before serving them if they were an unbearable customer. Gross!
I will be the best possible customer I can so this doesn’t happen to me and if I have a gripe, I’ll wait until the meal is over and talk to the manager. Then I will probably never go to that restaurant again.
@Sara Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
This is great. I worked at a fast food restaurant for 3.5 years while in high school. It is truly shocking the things that happen behind the sense that the public does not view. All in all though if we are scared to eat out what else do we have to be scared off. It is impossible to live risk free.
Here is how you deal with poor service – you deal with it in the tip. Don’t just not leave anything because then the waitstaff thinks you forgot. Leave a quarter. That let’s them know that you did not forget but you were dissatisfied. Now poor food – can’t help you there.