The personal injury attorneys at Shea Law Group have helped dozens of victims of foodborne illnesses from restaurants and contaminated food problems from other types of vendors. Although some instances of food poisoning can be minor and maybe last 24 hours, other incidents can cause serious health risks. Nobody should have to worry about getting sick after having paid good money for a meal. To help avoid getting food poisoning at restaurants, follow our tips!
Check the Bathroom
The cleanliness of the restroom is likely indicative of the cleanliness of the rest of the restaurant. If you see a dirty bathroom, odds are the kitchen isn’t much better! Clean restaurants keep EVERYTHING clean.
Skip the Buffet
Chances are that buffet food has been sitting out for a while. In an effort to keep the food hot, it’s been sitting out under heat lamps all day, which is actually just keeping it lukewarm. Warm, wet environments are ideal for bacterial growth. It’s only a matter of time before bacteria starts to grow and spread. This goes for salad bars as well.
Avoid Fish on Mondays
Fish is meant to be eaten fresh, and in most cases, Monday’s fish is Saturday night’s leftovers. That fish has been sitting in the fridge since it didn’t sell on Saturday and is now on the verge of going bad. Do yourself a favor and opt for the meat option.
Get the Popular Menu Item
Ask what the most popular menu items are and try them out. Not only are these probably the best items on the menu, but they also have the highest rate of turnover, meaning it hasn’t had time to go bad yet! Also, if everyone else is eating it and not getting sick—you’re probably fine.
Be Wary of Specials
Although we’d all like to think that the special of the day as the crème de la crème of the menu, that’s not always the reality. In fact, a lot of specials are attempts by the chef to run out of food that’s about to go bad. It’s in your best interest to steer clear of the special.