When was the last time you ate at a food court? Maybe it was during a shopping break at the mall, or at the airport waiting for your flight. We all know the main things to look for – which foods look good and which places have the shortest lines. But there’s something else you should check for that might totally change where you decide to eat. Poor hand washing and bad food storage aren’t just gross – they can make you sick. And they happen more often than you might think.
Workers not washing their hands properly
Think about all the things food workers touch before making your meal – money, phones, door handles, trash cans, and who knows what else. When workers skip hand washing or do a quick rinse without soap, all those germs can end up in your food. It happens a lot more than you’d think. In fact, in a recent report from Phoenix, Arizona, several restaurants got in trouble because workers weren’t washing their hands when they should have been. One place called West African Cuisine was specifically called out for this basic mistake.
The scary part? You can’t always see when this happens. Workers might wash their hands out of your sight, or they might not wash them at all. According to health inspectors, proper hand washing takes at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. That’s the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Next time you’re at a food court, watch to see if workers change gloves but don’t wash hands in between – that’s a red flag. Also watch if they handle raw food and then cooked food without washing up.
Food sitting at wrong temperatures
Have you ever noticed food sitting out on counters for what seems like forever? That’s not just unappealing – it could be dangerous. Hot food needs to stay hot (above 135°F) and cold food needs to stay cold (below 41°F). In between those temperatures is what health experts call the “danger zone” where bacteria grow really fast. Just two hours in this zone can turn safe food into something that could make you sick. And in hot weather? That time shrinks to just one hour.
A good food court restaurant will have ways to keep hot foods hot (like heat lamps or steam tables) and cold foods cold (like refrigerated display cases). Be wary of places where cold foods like sushi, salads, or desserts are just sitting out on counters without cooling. Same goes for hot foods like pizza or fried chicken that aren’t under heat lamps. At one place in Phoenix called The Stone Korean Tofu House, inspectors found cooked rice sitting out at room temperature – a perfect breeding ground for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Dirty equipment and food prep areas
You can tell a lot about a food court restaurant by looking at what you can see. Are the counters clean? Are the trays sticky? Is there old food stuck to the serving utensils? These are warning signs you shouldn’t ignore. If they’re not cleaning what you can see, imagine what’s happening in the parts you can’t see! Food residue on equipment isn’t just gross – it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria that can contaminate the fresh food being prepared.
In one restaurant called The Bear and the Honey Bistro, health inspectors found old food debris on a meat slicer, which could easily contaminate every piece of meat cut afterward. Another place had mold growing inside their ice machine – yuck! Equipment should be cleaned and sanitized regularly, especially anything that touches food directly. Look for food court places where staff are actively wiping down counters and replacing serving utensils. Places that have clean equipment usually care more about food safety overall and are less likely to cut corners in other areas too.
Raw and cooked foods stored together
You might not see this happening behind the scenes, but it’s a huge problem in many food places. When raw meat, chicken, or seafood is stored above or next to ready-to-eat foods like salads or bread, dangerous bacteria can drip down and contaminate the foods that won’t be cooked again. This mistake, called cross-contamination, is one of the most common health code violations and a major cause of food poisoning. In a busy food court kitchen where space is tight, this happens more often than you’d think.
While you can’t see inside the refrigerator at a food court place, you can watch how they handle foods during preparation. If you see the same cutting board or knife being used for raw chicken and then veggies without being washed in between, that’s a big warning sign. Or if you notice an employee touching raw meat and then immediately handling bread or other ready-to-eat foods without washing hands, walk away! The Dirty Dining reports from Phoenix found several restaurants where raw meat was stored improperly, risking cross-contamination of other foods.
Signs of pests or pest droppings
Nobody wants to think about mice, rats, roaches, or flies hanging around where their food is made. But these pests are attracted to food courts because there’s so much food and hiding spots. They’re not just gross – they carry diseases that can contaminate food and surfaces. If you spot a fly landing on prepared food, a cockroach scurrying along the floor, or (worst of all) rodent droppings near food areas, that’s a major reason to eat somewhere else. Food courts should have pest control systems in place.
How can you spot potential pest problems? Look around the edges of the floor, especially in corners or under counters. Check for small black droppings or greasy marks along walls. Watch for flies buzzing around food display areas. Even one fly can carry millions of bacteria. According to MonitorQA, pest control is one of the most common health code violations in restaurants. If a place has pests, it usually means there are other sanitation issues too, like food debris not being cleaned up properly or garbage not being handled correctly – both things that attract pests in the first place.
Food handlers with signs of illness
Would you want someone who’s sneezing, coughing, or wiping a runny nose to make your lunch? Probably not! When food handlers come to work sick, they can easily spread their germs to the food they’re preparing. Food service workers are supposed to stay home when they’re sick with certain symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, or infected cuts. But many still come to work because they need the money or don’t want to let their coworkers down.
It’s not always easy to tell if someone is sick just by looking at them, but there are some signs to watch for. Frequent coughing, wiping their nose, or excessive sneezing are obvious red flags. Also watch for food handlers with uncovered cuts or sores on their hands or forearms – these should be properly bandaged and covered with gloves. According to the FDA Food Code, food service managers are supposed to send sick workers home, but this doesn’t always happen, especially in busy food courts where finding a replacement might be difficult.
Employees not using gloves or hair restraints
Have you ever watched someone at a food court make your sandwich with bare hands? Or noticed long hair dangling over the food prep area? These might seem like small issues, but they can affect food safety in big ways. Proper glove use prevents the transfer of germs from hands to food. But gloves only work if they’re changed regularly – especially after handling money, touching garbage, or using the phone. Many food court workers make the mistake of wearing the same pair of gloves for too long, which can be as bad as not wearing gloves at all.
Hair restraints like nets, hats, or visors might not seem important, but they prevent hair (and anything in it like dandruff) from falling into food. They also keep workers from touching their hair and then touching your food. According to OSHA regulations, food service workers should use proper restraints to keep hair from contaminating food and food-contact surfaces. When you’re at a food court, look for employees wearing appropriate hair coverings and changing gloves between tasks. Places that follow these basic rules usually follow other important food safety practices too.
Next time you’re getting lunch at a food court, take a minute to look beyond the menu. Check for signs that the place takes food safety seriously. Clean counters, proper glove use, food at the right temperatures, and alert, healthy-looking staff are good indicators. Trust your gut – if something looks off, it probably is. And don’t be shy about reporting problems to your local health department. Your quick action could prevent someone else from getting sick. After all, we all deserve safe food, whether we’re eating at a fancy restaurant or grabbing a quick bite at the mall.
