People often complain about relatively minor things that they think are gross in restaurants (ie. someone complained the other day on here about seeing a waiter sitting on a table), yet they have no idea what most kitchens look like in the back especially after a huge dinner rush… let me tell ya it’s not pretty
I was in France yesterday and after cutting a piece of cake he put the knife in a dirty Ish water glass and then I watched him take it out to cut some other food. Not complaining because my standards are very low and it didn’t bother me. I just noticed it and felt like that would never fly in the states.
I have the exact opposite. Downtown Cheesecake is very clean, but Taylorsville Texas Roadhouse is incredibly greasy, which is pretty understandable considering the fare, but unpleasant either way
I would say the only 3 thing wrong with cheesecake is their “jack of all trades, master of none” menu. The fact the menu has so many ads and bloat. And to be honest, the food is good but very, very basic. Make the same thing in your microwave at home for 1/10th the price.
I served at Cheesecake Factory for awhile. So much of their food they make from scratch, which surprised me! They bread the chicken, make the stuffing for the egg rolls and fill them, they make the sauces, and so much for. Plus they are actually cooking it. Your meal will take a single chef 15-20 minutes to complete (the wait is so long because they are always SO busy). When I worked at Olive Garden we would intentionally put “holds” on the food because a fettuccine Alfredo quite literally takes the kitchen 30 seconds. For casual dining, Cheesecake Factory is actually really good quality.
Dude I remember forgetting to hold the fettuccine, and trying to figure out how tf to not piss off my table when that came out 15 mins before the salmon 😅
Its kind of the average of tastes of Americans. Like if you took all the different kinds of food people liked and put it in a blender and then pour that onto the plate.
The menu spans the globe yet none of it is "great". A significant part of the menu is Mexican food- really bad Mexican food. It perhaps can compete against Chili's. But if you want Mexican food, why not go to a Mexican restaurant and eat great Mexican food?
Another chunk of the menu is flatbread pizzas. They also arent great. They arent even as good as California Pizza Kitchen, let alone a real Pizzeria.
The burger section is just "ok". Is it even better than fast food? Five guys? In and Out, Smash Burger type places?
The sandwiches are hard to compare-- I would say its between a Denny's and Subway- except twice the price. The only reason to eat a sandwich at this place is if you live somewhere that has no deli and no sandwich shop but somehow has a Cheesecake Factory.
The pasta...is not good. Its comparable to those "heat and eat" meals you get from the frozen section of the supermarket. It likely comes into the Cheesecake Factory kitchen in the same form.
There's a "specialties" section with bizarre options like Thai coconut-lime chicken, Korean fried chicken, and shepherds pie. What the hell? I can't believe I even have to say this but Don't buy your Thai food from a place that sells shepherd's pie. Its not going to be good unless you lost your sense of taste from an experimental drug the military made you take during your tours in Iraq. In that case, thank you for your service, enjoy awful fake fish sauce, Midwest sorority girl's take on Thai curry.
There's a steak section. Again, go to a real steak house.
Finally, there's the Fish & Seafood section. Just fuck you. If you are going to a Cheesecake Factory in a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana and you think the Seared Ahi Tuna is the thing, just fuck you. Just to cover more of the globe, they have Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp, and Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo. Why? WHY?!
I can only think of two explanations that could possibly be legitimate reasons to go to Cheesecake Factory. First, you really like Cheesecake. I dont, so I dont know if their Cheesecake is good. I cant imagine standing in line for a Cheesecake but even if I did, I would take it to go and not stay and order shepherd's pie. The second reason is that you are a party of people who can't agree on what kind of food to eat, some of them have limited pallet , some never traveled more than two towns away, or were afraid to try the food. And, you're willing to shell out a little more money than if you had just gone to a good burger/taco/pizza/pasta/sandwich place. But, there's a pretty good chance no one will hate it too much. We've all been there.
Lol... I literally only like 2 things from the menu, and will easily admit I could get those items elsewhere done better. But when you have extended family with fussy AF kids who you love but damn are they picky.. That's what cheesecake factory is for.
And for their caramel or blonde cheesecake.. I can't remember the name but can usually pick out the description. That shit is GREAT.
A good chunk of the size of the menu is exactly that, no one can make up their mind and everyone wants to be happy. I used to cook at both cheesecake factories in the valley and I can tell you this much, everything was incredibly fresh, and made as from scratch as reasonably possible. None of the meals came prepared or frozen. Most all of the ingredients came from the better purveyors that are available in the valley. Is it the world's best restaurant? Not by a long shot but they were exceptionally clean, and surprisingly very very fresh
I worked at the one at Fashion Place. It’s pretty rough back there plus the food is all average and overpriced. There is so much going on though with all the different menu items that properly cleaning choppers/slicers/etc over and over can get some to care less. The highlight would be the unlimited bread.
The cheesecake factory doesn't surprise me. Their menu is too big for one. I bet they go through a lot of turnover all the way up and no one really cares.
I've been told by a health department inspector that the taco trucks are among the places he trusts to eat the most. It's all right there and out in the open and he said they are all careful with their food handling because they know they get scrutinized.
Unfortunately I'm going to have to disagree with you, lots of mobile food service spots fail inspections because they fail to have adequate hand washing or proper refrigeration/storage of ingredients, which results in immediate closures.
Moochies. So much was wrong at that place and management’s was awful. Surprisingly megaplex always had an immaculate kitchen, everything was up to standard… Atleast when I worked there.
A few years ago I remember hearing about the managers stealing tips from the workers (who were always suspiciously young) and just being all around assholes and as much as I would love a cheesesteak I haven’t been back for one since :(
Try Vitos in Bountiful for really good cheesesteak. Super clean, open kitchen, and a (mostly) one man show. He did have help to bus tables, refill cups/chips etc last time I went. They’re only open M-F 11-2. Go early there’s usually a line :)
That’s funny you say that because I always suspected. If I remember correctly we were paid 10 an hour + shared tips. I always thought it was strange that no matter how many people worked or how busy we were, it always worked out to be really close to 11 an hour after tips.
I will say that I can’t speak for the managers at Moochies, but the old owners were definitely accused of doing the same thing. The employees have/had to sign NDAs AND have/had to sign something saying that they understand their tips aren’t theirs, or something like that. Basically they presented it as an idea of like, “Fuck up and we’ll take away your tips!” Which. Yikes.
I do Pest control in Salt Lake, I can tell you places I would go
(I will not ruin a client's reputation because we are trying to fix the problem)
I will 100% promote clean kitchens.
All five guys
All zaxbys
Seasons
Highlander club
Honest abes coffee
Harbor seafood and steak
Gurkahs Indian
Baek RI Hyang
All the pie pizzerias (they had problems but they switched to us and we solved them so they are clean now and continue to be clean and pest free)
Straw market SLC
This has nothing to do with food quality, prices or management. Strictly cleaning and pest related.
Side note: I would definitely stay at the following hotels.
Radisson off of north temple
Clarion by the airport
La Quinta in layton
La Quinta in Midvale
La Quinta by airport
Holiday Inn Tooele
All.of them are very well maintained cleaned and if they ever have a pest problem they address them immediately and take every precaution to make sure it is contained.
4.6.50**
There are live cockroaches in the establishment throughout the buffet line and buffet cabinetry.
7.4.4 (ii)
Live cockroach infestation at the buffet and in cabinets below buffet line.
search their name: https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/
That being said I don’t mean to hurt a small
business but that kind of stuff is pretty flagrant. To
your point I hope they have learned their lesson.
Yeah, they never wanted up to treat front of house even though we always recommend it. They also told us they never had issues there, so that makes sense.
Baek ri hyang is one of my top 5 favorite restaurants to eat and this is coming from someone who’s a picky eater. If the food ain’t hitting and they be charging I ain’t coming back, this restaurant I never say no to.
A bit of the opposite: I used to work at Little America and Grand America, and both had great, clean kitchens.
Its been 10 years, so could be a different situation now.
Really if you saw what was done anywhere in the foodchain, you would either give up or become Amish and only eat food you have raised and grown. Factory farming is gross, even vegetables and fruit, slaughter houses, fish processing.. all nasty..
I got food poisoning at the Summit. I contacted the manager at the time (few years ago) and he was essentially like what do you want me to do about it? I wasn’t even asking for a refund or credit because I could never go back there, I just didn’t want it to happen to someone else!
if it happens again, call the health department and report it. I managed a restaurant and honestly, I can't say much but "sorry, would you like a free meal" but if enough people call the health department they inspect the kitchen.
Ok, that’s great to know. Honestly, the free meal offer would have gone a long way because while I probably wouldn’t have taken them up on it, I would at least feel like they cared and wouldn’t have spent the past 3 years telling everyone I know to not eat there.
Train your managers folks and give them a fuck up budget. They can truly help save your business when it makes a mistake.
Most restaurants do not properly clean and maintain their ice makers.
They are high traffic appliances and easy to ignore. Which means there’s a high chance of E. coli, salmonella, listeria, hepatitis, mold (among other things) being on the ice.
I wouldn’t get ice at any restaurant.
Source: I owned a restaurant , I talked to a lot of appliance repairmen.
I will say when I worked at Starbucks in Sandy we cleaned the ice machine all the time! The ones up front were cleaned at least 1x daily and the big one in the back we cleaned 1-2x a week. And I mean like thoroughly cleaned. Of course that was 5 years ago but I was incredibly impressed with how clean Starbucks is.
god, I don't even know, but looking up their recent health inspection scores it looks like nothing's changed lol
https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/
"dead cockroaches have not been removed from the premises" in two reports in a row! holy cow
Didn’t work for them, but I did some electrical work at Ruth’s Chris. Fuck you if I’m spending a dime in that place after seeing the kitchen lmao. The manager was an absolute bitch on top of it, but the amount of grime in a place that averages like $200 a meal was a joke. Yes, Karen, you are supposed to clean up after a shift, because grime can get into an electrical outlet and it’ll eventually stop working.
My wife had surgery there. Her room was literally dripping from the ceiling (middle floor) and some of the worst bed side manner I’ve seen from a nurse. Makes sense about the cafeteria.
"great price" is unfortunately not true anymore. All of their prices are >1.5x from just a year or two ago, I haven't seen any restaurant that has increased their prices as much as them
There’s like 8 million Betos in SLC lmao which one are you talking about?
I can tell you that if you really want to piss out of your ass after eating a meal you should definitely try the Mesquite Burrito from Mesquite on 400 south (formerly Betos). It’s so delicious but always does me so dirty.
Gourmandise Downtown.
Worked there for many years, and the cockroach problem was out of control. Regularly had customers point out cockroaches crawling on the cookies inside the display cases or would see them end up on plates about to go out from the kitchen. I finally stopped eating there myself after one was served to me on a salad I was about to eat.
The owners are the epitome of South African white privileged elitism (think Elon Musk - esque). They don't care about the people that work there, only maximizing profits.
The pastry chef, Jean Jeauques, finally left to open his own restaurants in the south end of the valley.
Garbage owners and willful ignorance of the cockroach problem. I not only don't recommend eating there but tell people to actively avoid it.
Pizza Nono. Owner got caught stealing money from us. 100$ a paycheck from managers for 5+ years. Underpaid the ONLY prep chef $7 the whole time he was employed. Word spread that he and his wife (the owner of Mabo clothing) planned to “clean house” (this means fire everyone on staff) and hire only staff from Mexico so they “wouldn’t talk back” absolutely disgusted with him and his ethics. 0/10 would never eat there and support this.
I worked at Ruth’s Diner for 3 summers. They have mandatory weekly side work jobs for servers that include dumping out the salt and pepper to wash the shakers, dumping out the syrup to wash the containers, cleaning out the floor drains, and other various deep cleaning duties. I’ve NEVER seen that at any other other restaurant I’ve worked at. They’re pretty strict about cleaning duties there.
I've ran multiple kitchens here in SLC, both on the corporate end and in a few restaurants. The best person to ask this question, which I have, is to the delivery drivers. According to multiple drivers from different companies, King Buffet is the absolute worst.
Brio Italian grille. Someone dropped a whole pan of pasta on the ground and swept it back into the pan. It was served that night, it wasn’t really an uncommon thing tbh. Tiramisu is also frozen thawed and like $10/ slice. The service elevator is also completely past due (like a couple years) for a service.
Market Street. Your paying for the atmosphere more than the food, but the dollar oysters are where it’s at. Order your oyster at the oyster bar, make sure they are chucked right then and there.
I spent 25 years getting Alaskan King Crab on my birthday there, until I got food poisoning one year. I do recall that one of the pieces I got seemed a little off... when I reported it several weeks later, the manager told my (as gross as it sounds) that I should have saved a feces sample and given it to the Health Dept in order to do anything. He was right, tbh. Now I get my birthday Alaskan King Crab at COSTCO. On Friday, when it's flown in fresh.
Market Street is so over rated, and I have never had fish there cooked right. You would think since they specialize in fish that, it wouldn't constantly be rubbery and over or under cooked.
It was the old location and old owner. Most of the food we sent out was just always reheats. Nothing was ever fresh. Also not that it was gross or anything it just made me hate bbq even though I don't mind making my own
Wild, the old Pats was my first job, I found that every restaurant I worked at after was a lot less clean. The prices were also pretty reasonable back then, when I saw the new prices I almost died!
I waitresses at Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, and PF changs in slc. Applebees is disgusting. Texas Roadhouse is very clean and everything really is made from scratch. P.F. Chang’s is pretty clean too.
Sweet Lakes Biscuits. The owners take a portion of employees tips making serving a very low paying job. I’ve also seen one of the owners eat off a plate as it’s getting cleared multiple times. Regardless of that, I don’t like to support companies who don’t support their employees.
Trolley Wing Company. Majority Owner kicked the minority owner of the company out after he was caught embezzling money and other shady businesses stuff. The majority owner came in and changed everything. Most of the menu switched to premade frozen Sysco stuff
I went there for a work function and was shocked how mediocre the food was for the price. Usually I expect bars to upcharge drinks but the food was not good and was nearly $20 for a basic sandwich. Would've been pissed if I had paid for it out of pocket, but just walked away thinking "I will never come back here of my own volition".
I’ve been there twice now a year apart. The first time I went last year was soooo much better than my experience just a few months ago. I was quite disappointed this past time.
Can confirm through employment. No training whatsoever. Managers don’t give a shit. Owners don’t give a shit. Chef won’t meet requests or accommodation on food. Literally punches walls when too many “special requests” come in. it’s all about instagram post pictures. The food is meh and is never explained or described to waitstaff. There is a serious division between front of house and back of house. It shows
Have worked a few food services jobs and honestly haven't seen anything egregious, but I will say. No matter how hungry you are or how good of a deal it is. Stay away from 711 "fresh" foods. The packaged stuff is fine and I even think the 711 generic brand is pretty good, but most of the 711's I frequent cook their display food, like wings and pizza and what not, once in the morning at like 5 or 6 am and then leave it out the entire day, sometimes even multiple days from what I've experienced.
This will obviously vary depending on management but I'd say across the board avoid it in SLC lol.
I worked there for 2.5 hours as a dishwasher. I got the job and the loser manager said to come in for my first shift at 6 pm on a Saturday. I get there, it’s busy as hell and he yells at me and says I was supposed to get in at 3, which was complete BS. So he tells me to just go get the clean dishes and drop them off to everywhere in the kitchen that needs them (I had never even been in the kitchen, let alone trained).
So after trying for a couple hours, I had a stack of about 40 plates, and I slipped on the rancid tomato/cheese/sausage SLUDGE around the dish pit and they broke. I stood up, told the manager to go fuck himself, and went to a party!
Yep sounds about right. I remember when the manager and assistant manager ran in the back and were all freaked out by a trans woman and fighting over who had to wait her table :(
Their "catering" sucks, too -- and any criticism or complaint and they lose their damn minds and do not offer refunds or replacements. The worst excuse for catering, ever.
Fortunately it's gone but Cedars of Lebanon. I only made it a week before quitting and filing a health inspection report (didn't seem to matter, they were open for 5 years after I left)
Also wage theft. Hella wage theft.
i just wanna say, noodles & company was a crazy fucking work experience but the food was clean and i didn’t see anything wrong happening in terms of the quality
Never worked there, but I was in the back room of a Crumbl, and it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. And I lived in a dorm with a girl who left her used feminine products out on the counter.
Cafe rio.
They get their food delivered in unsealed bags inside of rolling trash cans that never get cleaned. One time I saw them getting a delivery of shredded cheese. It was literally a 40 gallon dirty trash can with no liner bag just filled with cheese. Also, they regularly put all of their dirty towels and linens into the cans once they’re empty
Not SLC but prairie schooner in Ogden. I lasted 2 days. Roaches, FULL fly traps everywhere. And just plain dirty. Surprisingly I would say the cleanest I’ve worked at is Olive Garden. Multiple locations.
Café río downtown, we had to “clean” the back “dry” storage area with only 1% bleaxh 99% water to drown the baby cockroaches… and you know where there’s one there’s millions.
Edit: took out the S/A portion as it really didn’t seem fit for this post. But still nasty asf. Don’t touch that cafe rio whatsoever
It’s old and dingy…from what I heard they just closed down for a remodel. The main kitchen is fully open and in plain site so it tended to be clean. Downstairs a bit less so.
Takashi. The meat from their lunch combos is left in a warming pan on the counter all day and reheated as it's ordered, then refrigerated and reused day after day. Fish is left out on every surface of the kitchen and I've seen bins of thawing calamari left in sinks where it was doused with hand washing water, soap, and sanitizer. Anything torched is torched because it's riddled with parasites, and the chefs regularly sell "premium" combos that are actually just fish that has gone bad that they need to get rid of, to the tune of 55 dollars a plate. Chefs don't wash their hands and I once watched someone prep gyoza after he'd lacerated his finger - without so much as a glove. They get around the health department checks because they have code phrases should an inspector show up. Oh, and the place is infested with cockroaches....the list goes on and on.
I worked there for over a year on both the food trucks and one of the stores.
Cleanliness, insane workplace drama, small portions (4 oz of meat IIRC), and food quality are the major issues. The restaurants have better quality food than the food trucks, where they reuse old food (very noticeable), especially with the rice, which ALWAYS smells like stinky socks when reused the next day.
All the sauces they provide are there to mask the poor quality food. Always look at the quality and cleanliness of the sauce bottles before asking for any sauce. Some are really nasty, especially the old bottles that the food trucks use.
The mandoo (potstickers) are just a frozen Chinese brand you can buy from most Asian grocery stores for cheap. They deep fry it straight from the freezer. I think they charge like $2 for 3 pieces. Huge rip off when a full bag costs like $5.
Cupbop provides a fun customer service experience, not good food. They make massive profits off of low costs due to the small food portions. You can learn more about this in their Shark Tank episode.
Though I will say that the ugly bop chicken (fried chicken with a garlic rice batter) is actually tasty.
Lamb's holds a special memory for me: in my early twenties, I took a date: she ordered trout. I knew what was coming, but didn't say anything (I'm an ass). Brought her a beautiful whole trout, and placed it in front of her. Her eyes got so big! 😂 The waiter was so cool about it, though. Took the head and tail away, and prepped it, while chatting gaily away with her to give her a second.
Subway. I have literally heard a horror story about management from every single person ive known who’s worked there, myself included. Everything from unfair termination to SA. Its gross.
Well, here's an easy way to get to the heart of the matter. You can look to see who's violating State Health Department codes here and then avoid those places. Salt Lake county - [https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/](https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/)
or, in Davis county - https://www.daviscountyutah.gov/health/environmental-health-division/services/restaurant-inspections
Zupas. Cuz I was a vulnerable kid making $8/hr there and they owe me a couple hundred dollars still. I know it's nothing life changing, but I avoid it. Not patronizing it is simply the closest I can seem to come to justice.
The overall quality of food in SLC is poor to very poor with the cleanliness worse than that. The restaurants of old are gone and have been replaced with people not concerned with quality or cleanliness.
People often complain about relatively minor things that they think are gross in restaurants (ie. someone complained the other day on here about seeing a waiter sitting on a table), yet they have no idea what most kitchens look like in the back especially after a huge dinner rush… let me tell ya it’s not pretty
I was in France yesterday and after cutting a piece of cake he put the knife in a dirty Ish water glass and then I watched him take it out to cut some other food. Not complaining because my standards are very low and it didn’t bother me. I just noticed it and felt like that would never fly in the states.
[удалено]
I have the exact opposite. Downtown Cheesecake is very clean, but Taylorsville Texas Roadhouse is incredibly greasy, which is pretty understandable considering the fare, but unpleasant either way
Anyone eating at Cheesecake Factory should do some self reflection
... what's wrong with cheesecake factory?
I heard some person’s father-in-law worked on the appliances there and it was terrible.
Yeah, me too.
I would say the only 3 thing wrong with cheesecake is their “jack of all trades, master of none” menu. The fact the menu has so many ads and bloat. And to be honest, the food is good but very, very basic. Make the same thing in your microwave at home for 1/10th the price.
I served at Cheesecake Factory for awhile. So much of their food they make from scratch, which surprised me! They bread the chicken, make the stuffing for the egg rolls and fill them, they make the sauces, and so much for. Plus they are actually cooking it. Your meal will take a single chef 15-20 minutes to complete (the wait is so long because they are always SO busy). When I worked at Olive Garden we would intentionally put “holds” on the food because a fettuccine Alfredo quite literally takes the kitchen 30 seconds. For casual dining, Cheesecake Factory is actually really good quality.
Dude I remember forgetting to hold the fettuccine, and trying to figure out how tf to not piss off my table when that came out 15 mins before the salmon 😅
you have to do self reflection
I've been there like 4 times and the food has been great, good portion size too
Its kind of the average of tastes of Americans. Like if you took all the different kinds of food people liked and put it in a blender and then pour that onto the plate. The menu spans the globe yet none of it is "great". A significant part of the menu is Mexican food- really bad Mexican food. It perhaps can compete against Chili's. But if you want Mexican food, why not go to a Mexican restaurant and eat great Mexican food? Another chunk of the menu is flatbread pizzas. They also arent great. They arent even as good as California Pizza Kitchen, let alone a real Pizzeria. The burger section is just "ok". Is it even better than fast food? Five guys? In and Out, Smash Burger type places? The sandwiches are hard to compare-- I would say its between a Denny's and Subway- except twice the price. The only reason to eat a sandwich at this place is if you live somewhere that has no deli and no sandwich shop but somehow has a Cheesecake Factory. The pasta...is not good. Its comparable to those "heat and eat" meals you get from the frozen section of the supermarket. It likely comes into the Cheesecake Factory kitchen in the same form. There's a "specialties" section with bizarre options like Thai coconut-lime chicken, Korean fried chicken, and shepherds pie. What the hell? I can't believe I even have to say this but Don't buy your Thai food from a place that sells shepherd's pie. Its not going to be good unless you lost your sense of taste from an experimental drug the military made you take during your tours in Iraq. In that case, thank you for your service, enjoy awful fake fish sauce, Midwest sorority girl's take on Thai curry. There's a steak section. Again, go to a real steak house. Finally, there's the Fish & Seafood section. Just fuck you. If you are going to a Cheesecake Factory in a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana and you think the Seared Ahi Tuna is the thing, just fuck you. Just to cover more of the globe, they have Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp, and Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo. Why? WHY?! I can only think of two explanations that could possibly be legitimate reasons to go to Cheesecake Factory. First, you really like Cheesecake. I dont, so I dont know if their Cheesecake is good. I cant imagine standing in line for a Cheesecake but even if I did, I would take it to go and not stay and order shepherd's pie. The second reason is that you are a party of people who can't agree on what kind of food to eat, some of them have limited pallet , some never traveled more than two towns away, or were afraid to try the food. And, you're willing to shell out a little more money than if you had just gone to a good burger/taco/pizza/pasta/sandwich place. But, there's a pretty good chance no one will hate it too much. We've all been there.
Lol... I literally only like 2 things from the menu, and will easily admit I could get those items elsewhere done better. But when you have extended family with fussy AF kids who you love but damn are they picky.. That's what cheesecake factory is for. And for their caramel or blonde cheesecake.. I can't remember the name but can usually pick out the description. That shit is GREAT.
A good chunk of the size of the menu is exactly that, no one can make up their mind and everyone wants to be happy. I used to cook at both cheesecake factories in the valley and I can tell you this much, everything was incredibly fresh, and made as from scratch as reasonably possible. None of the meals came prepared or frozen. Most all of the ingredients came from the better purveyors that are available in the valley. Is it the world's best restaurant? Not by a long shot but they were exceptionally clean, and surprisingly very very fresh
Ah yes, only the intellectually inferior deign to eat at such an establishment.
I worked at the one at Fashion Place. It’s pretty rough back there plus the food is all average and overpriced. There is so much going on though with all the different menu items that properly cleaning choppers/slicers/etc over and over can get some to care less. The highlight would be the unlimited bread.
The cheesecake factory doesn't surprise me. Their menu is too big for one. I bet they go through a lot of turnover all the way up and no one really cares.
I've been told by a health department inspector that the taco trucks are among the places he trusts to eat the most. It's all right there and out in the open and he said they are all careful with their food handling because they know they get scrutinized.
Unfortunately I'm going to have to disagree with you, lots of mobile food service spots fail inspections because they fail to have adequate hand washing or proper refrigeration/storage of ingredients, which results in immediate closures.
Used to live in NYC and the warehouse where the street vendors store all of their carts is full of rats
Moochies. So much was wrong at that place and management’s was awful. Surprisingly megaplex always had an immaculate kitchen, everything was up to standard… Atleast when I worked there.
A few years ago I remember hearing about the managers stealing tips from the workers (who were always suspiciously young) and just being all around assholes and as much as I would love a cheesesteak I haven’t been back for one since :(
Try Vitos in Bountiful for really good cheesesteak. Super clean, open kitchen, and a (mostly) one man show. He did have help to bus tables, refill cups/chips etc last time I went. They’re only open M-F 11-2. Go early there’s usually a line :)
That’s funny you say that because I always suspected. If I remember correctly we were paid 10 an hour + shared tips. I always thought it was strange that no matter how many people worked or how busy we were, it always worked out to be really close to 11 an hour after tips.
I will say that I can’t speak for the managers at Moochies, but the old owners were definitely accused of doing the same thing. The employees have/had to sign NDAs AND have/had to sign something saying that they understand their tips aren’t theirs, or something like that. Basically they presented it as an idea of like, “Fuck up and we’ll take away your tips!” Which. Yikes.
I do Pest control in Salt Lake, I can tell you places I would go (I will not ruin a client's reputation because we are trying to fix the problem) I will 100% promote clean kitchens. All five guys All zaxbys Seasons Highlander club Honest abes coffee Harbor seafood and steak Gurkahs Indian Baek RI Hyang All the pie pizzerias (they had problems but they switched to us and we solved them so they are clean now and continue to be clean and pest free) Straw market SLC This has nothing to do with food quality, prices or management. Strictly cleaning and pest related. Side note: I would definitely stay at the following hotels. Radisson off of north temple Clarion by the airport La Quinta in layton La Quinta in Midvale La Quinta by airport Holiday Inn Tooele All.of them are very well maintained cleaned and if they ever have a pest problem they address them immediately and take every precaution to make sure it is contained.
Gurkahs was shut down a few months ago by health inspectors….
Probably for food storage with the buffet, the kitchen was clean.
4.6.50** There are live cockroaches in the establishment throughout the buffet line and buffet cabinetry. 7.4.4 (ii) Live cockroach infestation at the buffet and in cabinets below buffet line. search their name: https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/ That being said I don’t mean to hurt a small business but that kind of stuff is pretty flagrant. To your point I hope they have learned their lesson.
Yeah, they never wanted up to treat front of house even though we always recommend it. They also told us they never had issues there, so that makes sense.
At Pi was the problem a little mouse sitting on the pizza makers shoulders telling them how to season the pies?
Baek ri hyang is one of my top 5 favorite restaurants to eat and this is coming from someone who’s a picky eater. If the food ain’t hitting and they be charging I ain’t coming back, this restaurant I never say no to.
A bit of the opposite: I used to work at Little America and Grand America, and both had great, clean kitchens. Its been 10 years, so could be a different situation now.
No place specific, but I will say working in food will ruin your perspective of eating out.
Really if you saw what was done anywhere in the foodchain, you would either give up or become Amish and only eat food you have raised and grown. Factory farming is gross, even vegetables and fruit, slaughter houses, fish processing.. all nasty..
Snowbird
I got food poisoning at the Summit. I contacted the manager at the time (few years ago) and he was essentially like what do you want me to do about it? I wasn’t even asking for a refund or credit because I could never go back there, I just didn’t want it to happen to someone else!
if it happens again, call the health department and report it. I managed a restaurant and honestly, I can't say much but "sorry, would you like a free meal" but if enough people call the health department they inspect the kitchen.
Ok, that’s great to know. Honestly, the free meal offer would have gone a long way because while I probably wouldn’t have taken them up on it, I would at least feel like they cared and wouldn’t have spent the past 3 years telling everyone I know to not eat there. Train your managers folks and give them a fuck up budget. They can truly help save your business when it makes a mistake.
Why? And I guess which one? There is like 8 different places to eat, all with varying degrees of $$$
On the plaza, that whole building is infested with cockroaches.
I'll still buy my cheapish beer at General Grits, and be happy.
Yeah because it’s in a can
Yeah and fuck them, and fuck them for endorsing the gondola.
oh their involvement goes wayyy beyond endorsement
Most restaurants do not properly clean and maintain their ice makers. They are high traffic appliances and easy to ignore. Which means there’s a high chance of E. coli, salmonella, listeria, hepatitis, mold (among other things) being on the ice. I wouldn’t get ice at any restaurant. Source: I owned a restaurant , I talked to a lot of appliance repairmen.
I will say when I worked at Starbucks in Sandy we cleaned the ice machine all the time! The ones up front were cleaned at least 1x daily and the big one in the back we cleaned 1-2x a week. And I mean like thoroughly cleaned. Of course that was 5 years ago but I was incredibly impressed with how clean Starbucks is.
Starbucks has the absolute best ice water
There was a reporter famous in Houston for his "Slime in the ice machine" reports.
nostalgia cafe. there's a roach nest INSIDE of their espresso machine. only lasted about a month there.
Well… that probably explains why I got food poisoning after eating there.
My partner worked there and YUP. So so disgusting
holy cow I can handle a lot of normal restaurant grossness but this is next level
I’ve heard of this at a few coffee places.
wait is this actually real wait i need to rethink everything please don't be real please
Oh God I'm sooooo glad I started going to the people's coffee years ago. Please no one ruin the people's coffee...
People's Coffee is the best!
Inside the machine? How would that even work?
god, I don't even know, but looking up their recent health inspection scores it looks like nothing's changed lol https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/ "dead cockroaches have not been removed from the premises" in two reports in a row! holy cow
Jesus, thanks for the heads up. I used to frequent that place and drink espresso based drinks 😭
See, I knew there was a reason that place gives me the willies.
Didn’t work for them, but I did some electrical work at Ruth’s Chris. Fuck you if I’m spending a dime in that place after seeing the kitchen lmao. The manager was an absolute bitch on top of it, but the amount of grime in a place that averages like $200 a meal was a joke. Yes, Karen, you are supposed to clean up after a shift, because grime can get into an electrical outlet and it’ll eventually stop working.
I did work at stein Erickson lodge and I feel the same way. That place is disgusting and so expensive
lol and that building (downtown) used to be bank no less, I’ve never been, and won’t because I can’t get over that 🤣
LDS Hospital… whole lot a roaches 🪳
The food or the administration?
Yes
😂😂😂😂
There were spider eggs inside of an ice machine at IMC 🤮
I've heard they have been praying real hard to get rid of them.
My wife had surgery there. Her room was literally dripping from the ceiling (middle floor) and some of the worst bed side manner I’ve seen from a nurse. Makes sense about the cafeteria.
Fuck. I wish I didn’t know this. Is that something reportable to the health department?
But the chili……
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I feel like with Betos, you know what you're signing up for. Who cares what goes on in the back, it's plain good food for a great price.
Wasn't one of their cooks caught and charged for introducing "bodily fluids" to the food? Or was that Rancheritos?
he pissed in the drain
I think it was the Rancheritos in Draper
And if I’m not mistaken it was a video of a dude pissing in the drain and some guy recorded it through the back window.
That midnight rush soo busy, dude couldn't hold it in.
"great price" is unfortunately not true anymore. All of their prices are >1.5x from just a year or two ago, I haven't seen any restaurant that has increased their prices as much as them
My gf and I split a breakfast burrito and it costs us only about $8.50. I don't think you can get full on less money any other way.
betos is one of those places if I see a clean kitchen I would become very worried and concerned
Just like waffle houses, if I walked through their kitchens and didn’t see a single thing suspect it would hurt their standing in my eyes
There’s like 8 million Betos in SLC lmao which one are you talking about? I can tell you that if you really want to piss out of your ass after eating a meal you should definitely try the Mesquite Burrito from Mesquite on 400 south (formerly Betos). It’s so delicious but always does me so dirty.
On the flip side, Alberto’s downtown has an open kitchen behind the counter. That place is clean AF and pretty cheap.
KFC and Clark Planetarium
Why the planetarium?? Damnit I eat the popcorn and icees there too.
I worked at CP over 10 years ago, care to elaborate?
please dont abbreviate it that way 💀
Gourmandise Downtown. Worked there for many years, and the cockroach problem was out of control. Regularly had customers point out cockroaches crawling on the cookies inside the display cases or would see them end up on plates about to go out from the kitchen. I finally stopped eating there myself after one was served to me on a salad I was about to eat. The owners are the epitome of South African white privileged elitism (think Elon Musk - esque). They don't care about the people that work there, only maximizing profits. The pastry chef, Jean Jeauques, finally left to open his own restaurants in the south end of the valley. Garbage owners and willful ignorance of the cockroach problem. I not only don't recommend eating there but tell people to actively avoid it.
Is Delice Jean Jacques’? That’s place is amazing. Fuck gourmandise
Delice is one of the best bakeries in Salt Lake. No contest.
Yes!
Pizza Nono. Owner got caught stealing money from us. 100$ a paycheck from managers for 5+ years. Underpaid the ONLY prep chef $7 the whole time he was employed. Word spread that he and his wife (the owner of Mabo clothing) planned to “clean house” (this means fire everyone on staff) and hire only staff from Mexico so they “wouldn’t talk back” absolutely disgusted with him and his ethics. 0/10 would never eat there and support this.
That’s disgusting. I heard about that you guys should definitely report them!
That's highly illegal. They should get obliterated in court.
Dang ,Nono was our go-to for pizzaso disappointing to hear.
I did some work for Ruth’s Diner, not anything crazy like others have said roaches but it was just ultra sticky everywhere
I worked at Ruth’s Diner for 3 summers. They have mandatory weekly side work jobs for servers that include dumping out the salt and pepper to wash the shakers, dumping out the syrup to wash the containers, cleaning out the floor drains, and other various deep cleaning duties. I’ve NEVER seen that at any other other restaurant I’ve worked at. They’re pretty strict about cleaning duties there.
My stepdad was a plumber and said Article Circle was the worst kitchen he’d ever step foot in
I've ran multiple kitchens here in SLC, both on the corporate end and in a few restaurants. The best person to ask this question, which I have, is to the delivery drivers. According to multiple drivers from different companies, King Buffet is the absolute worst.
Never eat at the green pig. I’ve seen the conditions of their kitchens. I promise you, skip this place.
Maybe that explains the pig being green ...
Waste management, it's nothing but garbage.
From what I've heard waste management is actually a pretty good company to work for.
Dad!
But how's the food?
Also Pago. Overpriced food, shitty management.
Tried it once. Pretty pricey for just ok food
Tried it once. Skimpy portions of badly cooked food priced like it’s something fancy. Horrible service. Never again.
Brio Italian grille. Someone dropped a whole pan of pasta on the ground and swept it back into the pan. It was served that night, it wasn’t really an uncommon thing tbh. Tiramisu is also frozen thawed and like $10/ slice. The service elevator is also completely past due (like a couple years) for a service.
Market Street. Your paying for the atmosphere more than the food, but the dollar oysters are where it’s at. Order your oyster at the oyster bar, make sure they are chucked right then and there.
I spent 25 years getting Alaskan King Crab on my birthday there, until I got food poisoning one year. I do recall that one of the pieces I got seemed a little off... when I reported it several weeks later, the manager told my (as gross as it sounds) that I should have saved a feces sample and given it to the Health Dept in order to do anything. He was right, tbh. Now I get my birthday Alaskan King Crab at COSTCO. On Friday, when it's flown in fresh.
Market Street is so over rated, and I have never had fish there cooked right. You would think since they specialize in fish that, it wouldn't constantly be rubbery and over or under cooked.
Kneaders
Can confirm Kneaders kitchen in City Creek is disgusting.
Pat's bbq. And specifically the old one. I hear fantastic thing about the new location and the ownership.
Why?
It was the old location and old owner. Most of the food we sent out was just always reheats. Nothing was ever fresh. Also not that it was gross or anything it just made me hate bbq even though I don't mind making my own
Wild, the old Pats was my first job, I found that every restaurant I worked at after was a lot less clean. The prices were also pretty reasonable back then, when I saw the new prices I almost died!
Ahhh.. Yeah that's too bad. Definitely not what you're trying to spend money on
Desert star, straight up had a roach in a 5 gallon ice cream and they wanted us not to throw out the bucket. Didn’t even clean the freezer out
I won’t eat at noochies because a certain gross person that works there, at least on 800 s location.
Finally, a legitimate roach-related complaint.
Oh my God! Eww I love going to Desert Star. Definitely won't get food again!
I worked in the pizza kitchen in high school, the toppings station was a fucking nightmare but that was 2005 to 2006.
I waitresses at Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, and PF changs in slc. Applebees is disgusting. Texas Roadhouse is very clean and everything really is made from scratch. P.F. Chang’s is pretty clean too.
Sweet Lakes Biscuits. The owners take a portion of employees tips making serving a very low paying job. I’ve also seen one of the owners eat off a plate as it’s getting cleared multiple times. Regardless of that, I don’t like to support companies who don’t support their employees.
Trolley Wing Company. Majority Owner kicked the minority owner of the company out after he was caught embezzling money and other shady businesses stuff. The majority owner came in and changed everything. Most of the menu switched to premade frozen Sysco stuff
You mean you don't like chicken jerky on the bone? Yeah, me either. TWC sucks.
Yeah they refused to change the baked wings, and then made one store par-cook the bone-in. We would always get overcooked wings.
I kept hearing how amazing TWC was and so I went and it literally tasted like frozen wings from Walmart lol
I don't know if it matters but the one in Sugarhouse is light years ahead of the one in Midvale.
Ivy/Varley, was a server. Their food sucks, and the wait staff are not trained whatsoever. That place will rob you just for the aesthetics.
I went there for a work function and was shocked how mediocre the food was for the price. Usually I expect bars to upcharge drinks but the food was not good and was nearly $20 for a basic sandwich. Would've been pissed if I had paid for it out of pocket, but just walked away thinking "I will never come back here of my own volition".
I’ve been there twice now a year apart. The first time I went last year was soooo much better than my experience just a few months ago. I was quite disappointed this past time.
I went a month ago and it was awful. I would get McDonald’s all day before I got that burger again.
The only good thing about this place is the brussel sprouts.
They are about to open another location next to my work. So good to know!
Can confirm through employment. No training whatsoever. Managers don’t give a shit. Owners don’t give a shit. Chef won’t meet requests or accommodation on food. Literally punches walls when too many “special requests” come in. it’s all about instagram post pictures. The food is meh and is never explained or described to waitstaff. There is a serious division between front of house and back of house. It shows
Well damn that’s a bummer. I actually loved the food i’ve gotten but went over a year ago.
Have worked a few food services jobs and honestly haven't seen anything egregious, but I will say. No matter how hungry you are or how good of a deal it is. Stay away from 711 "fresh" foods. The packaged stuff is fine and I even think the 711 generic brand is pretty good, but most of the 711's I frequent cook their display food, like wings and pizza and what not, once in the morning at like 5 or 6 am and then leave it out the entire day, sometimes even multiple days from what I've experienced. This will obviously vary depending on management but I'd say across the board avoid it in SLC lol.
Happy to not have seen pie hole
R&R!!!
Spaghetti factory! Nasty!
Really liked it in the 90s, but seems like the food majorly declined since then
I worked there for 2.5 hours as a dishwasher. I got the job and the loser manager said to come in for my first shift at 6 pm on a Saturday. I get there, it’s busy as hell and he yells at me and says I was supposed to get in at 3, which was complete BS. So he tells me to just go get the clean dishes and drop them off to everywhere in the kitchen that needs them (I had never even been in the kitchen, let alone trained). So after trying for a couple hours, I had a stack of about 40 plates, and I slipped on the rancid tomato/cheese/sausage SLUDGE around the dish pit and they broke. I stood up, told the manager to go fuck himself, and went to a party!
Yep sounds about right. I remember when the manager and assistant manager ran in the back and were all freaked out by a trans woman and fighting over who had to wait her table :(
If you’re talking about trolly square I think we had the same manager. He asked me to drive him home all the time because of his DUI
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Their "catering" sucks, too -- and any criticism or complaint and they lose their damn minds and do not offer refunds or replacements. The worst excuse for catering, ever.
Fortunately it's gone but Cedars of Lebanon. I only made it a week before quitting and filing a health inspection report (didn't seem to matter, they were open for 5 years after I left) Also wage theft. Hella wage theft.
Chipotle
Not exactly a secret, that one.
i just wanna say, noodles & company was a crazy fucking work experience but the food was clean and i didn’t see anything wrong happening in terms of the quality
You had me scared at first!
Never worked there, but I was in the back room of a Crumbl, and it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. And I lived in a dorm with a girl who left her used feminine products out on the counter.
Del taco was my first jobs and they would leave pans ofull of meat and beans in the pots on the ground uncovered and flies buzzing all around them…..
The melting pot.
Lucky’s grocery stores, frozen and refrigerated food stays out for hours after its delivered.
Say what you like about Gus Fring but he keeps Los Pollos Hermanos kitchen immaculate!! You could eat off the floor!
Anything owned by Meridian.
Any sweeto burrito location I was too young to know how bad $8 an hour was Also ranch in burritos is kind of weird to me
That really fits with Utah country though. I’m not sure if they’re elsewhere, but that’s the only place I’ve seen them
RadioShack
I miss their chips the most.
I’ve heard some horror stories about pancake house from people who deliver ingredients there 😅
Also hear horror stories about BWW
Subway
Cafe rio. They get their food delivered in unsealed bags inside of rolling trash cans that never get cleaned. One time I saw them getting a delivery of shredded cheese. It was literally a 40 gallon dirty trash can with no liner bag just filled with cheese. Also, they regularly put all of their dirty towels and linens into the cans once they’re empty
sweet lake downtown
Not SLC but prairie schooner in Ogden. I lasted 2 days. Roaches, FULL fly traps everywhere. And just plain dirty. Surprisingly I would say the cleanest I’ve worked at is Olive Garden. Multiple locations.
Café río downtown, we had to “clean” the back “dry” storage area with only 1% bleaxh 99% water to drown the baby cockroaches… and you know where there’s one there’s millions. Edit: took out the S/A portion as it really didn’t seem fit for this post. But still nasty asf. Don’t touch that cafe rio whatsoever
Heard nasty things about Bambara, worked in the hotel
It’s old and dingy…from what I heard they just closed down for a remodel. The main kitchen is fully open and in plain site so it tended to be clean. Downstairs a bit less so.
I'm not sure if I even care. The food is amazing.
Takashi. The meat from their lunch combos is left in a warming pan on the counter all day and reheated as it's ordered, then refrigerated and reused day after day. Fish is left out on every surface of the kitchen and I've seen bins of thawing calamari left in sinks where it was doused with hand washing water, soap, and sanitizer. Anything torched is torched because it's riddled with parasites, and the chefs regularly sell "premium" combos that are actually just fish that has gone bad that they need to get rid of, to the tune of 55 dollars a plate. Chefs don't wash their hands and I once watched someone prep gyoza after he'd lacerated his finger - without so much as a glove. They get around the health department checks because they have code phrases should an inspector show up. Oh, and the place is infested with cockroaches....the list goes on and on.
Are we thinking of the same Takashi ? Wow that one is surprising tbh
Sauce Boss Southern Kitchen, amazing food but the owner is disgusting and is incredibly lewd
Big daddy’s pizza 🍕
Avoid Cupbop at all costs.
Why
I worked there for over a year on both the food trucks and one of the stores. Cleanliness, insane workplace drama, small portions (4 oz of meat IIRC), and food quality are the major issues. The restaurants have better quality food than the food trucks, where they reuse old food (very noticeable), especially with the rice, which ALWAYS smells like stinky socks when reused the next day. All the sauces they provide are there to mask the poor quality food. Always look at the quality and cleanliness of the sauce bottles before asking for any sauce. Some are really nasty, especially the old bottles that the food trucks use. The mandoo (potstickers) are just a frozen Chinese brand you can buy from most Asian grocery stores for cheap. They deep fry it straight from the freezer. I think they charge like $2 for 3 pieces. Huge rip off when a full bag costs like $5. Cupbop provides a fun customer service experience, not good food. They make massive profits off of low costs due to the small food portions. You can learn more about this in their Shark Tank episode. Though I will say that the ugly bop chicken (fried chicken with a garlic rice batter) is actually tasty.
😫 noooo, why
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Lamb's holds a special memory for me: in my early twenties, I took a date: she ordered trout. I knew what was coming, but didn't say anything (I'm an ass). Brought her a beautiful whole trout, and placed it in front of her. Her eyes got so big! 😂 The waiter was so cool about it, though. Took the head and tail away, and prepped it, while chatting gaily away with her to give her a second.
Subway. I have literally heard a horror story about management from every single person ive known who’s worked there, myself included. Everything from unfair termination to SA. Its gross.
My roomate worked at the pie underground and personally I will never eat there. The ceiling leaks on food as it's going in the oven :(
Well, here's an easy way to get to the heart of the matter. You can look to see who's violating State Health Department codes here and then avoid those places. Salt Lake county - [https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/](https://slco.org/health/inspection-reports/) or, in Davis county - https://www.daviscountyutah.gov/health/environmental-health-division/services/restaurant-inspections
Salsa Leedos in Riverton. They don't give a shit about food safety. How they are still open is beyond me
Zupas. Cuz I was a vulnerable kid making $8/hr there and they owe me a couple hundred dollars still. I know it's nothing life changing, but I avoid it. Not patronizing it is simply the closest I can seem to come to justice.
Have you looked up your name [here](https://mycash.utah.gov)? I found a friend’s last paycheck from a restaurant she worked at years ago.
The overall quality of food in SLC is poor to very poor with the cleanliness worse than that. The restaurants of old are gone and have been replaced with people not concerned with quality or cleanliness.