Crystal honesty in business is a rarity, unfortunately. In the pursuit of savings, even the most conscientious entrepreneurs may resort to questionable methods.
Mediasole informs about five tricks of food service owners that can lead us to doctors.
1. Deep-fried dishes
Let’s start with the fact that food fried in boiling oil contains carcinogens. If you occasionally indulge in a homemade deep-fried dish, it’s not that terrible. However, in food establishments, the oil in fryers is often not changed for several hours, cooking new portions in it throughout the day. This means that you are being served a potentially hazardous dish. Restaurateurs, looking to save money, turn a blind eye to this fact, as replacing the oil incurs costs for expensive vegetable oil. It is recommended to avoid ordering deep-fried dishes.
2. Aperitif
In prestigious restaurants, you will be offered something to drink while waiting for the main course. If it’s a glass of water or coffee, that’s not a problem. But if you choose alcohol (which the waiter will likely insist on by skillfully sliding the wine menu to you), it will undoubtedly enhance your appetite. This trick has been known for a long time. As a result, after receiving the main course, you are likely to order something else, thus providing a financial benefit to the restaurant. Moreover, it increases the risk of becoming dependent on alcohol.
3. Use of unsold salads
Unsold chopped salads from the first half of the day wait for evening visitors. When they arrive, olive oil or mayonnaise is added to the chopped vegetables, and the dish looks fresh. It’s good if the vegetables were stored in the refrigerator. But what if they weren’t? Keep in mind: the same radish, after being outside the refrigerator for 6 hours, can become a source of severe food poisoning and send you to a gastroenterologist. It’s important to ask the waiter when the fresh vegetable salad you are about to order was made. Pay attention to the waiter’s body language for truthfulness.
4. Suspicious dish of the day at a low price
Have you ever ordered the so-called DISH OF THE DAY at any establishment for a symbolic price? Did it contain, for example, red fish or meat? If so, remember if you felt unwell after consuming it. Usually, unscrupulous restaurateurs prepare such dishes from fish or meat that are nearing their expiration date, which increases the risk of food poisoning. This is especially true for fish products, as they are expensive and spoil quickly.
5. Soups made from frozen broths
Frozen chicken broth, which many inexpensive restaurants use, allows them to serve customers soups with fresh ingredients at any time. It’s quite simple: the broth is cooked, frozen, and then thawed in portions as orders come in. But what if the chicken broth has been stored in the freezer for several days? What if they mix some fresh broth with the thawed one? After just 4 days in the refrigerator, chicken broth can start to emit an unpleasant odor. Therefore, it is important to carefully choose the level of the restaurant serving chicken broth soups to avoid poisoning.
