Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
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I'm extremely sick to my stomach. I work at a gas station and these are super important to keep cleaned. The person who was supposed to clean these while brixing the fountain machine last time and most likely the time before did not. This is what I found today while scrubbing it down top to bottom. You might think "oh it'll be fine if I skip it once". DON'T SKIP THIS. You'll get this and the drink touches this as it goes in the cup. They are basically drinking this. It's absolutely disgusting.
Raspberry iced tea if you're curious what this one is from. Bleached the fuck out of all of these. Took me an hour and a half to scrub the machine down top to bottom. If everyone did this regularly, it would never get this bad. One person can't do this all the time between customers and the billion other things that need done.
Mountain Dew.
This is something I did not want to see. I'm horrified that our store got this way. Never want to see it get this way again. I hope that no other store gets to this and that they're keeping up with these.
Now I have to add another thing to my list of never ending things. To now make sure this is being kept up on by everyone. Fountain machines need wiped down daily. Under the nozzles and everywhere including the ice dispenser. I know gas stations are super busy and you have to get so much done between customers, but one person cannot keep up with this on their own. It's a team effort. Please for the sake of your customers, keep up with this.
Now I'm wondering what other gas stations keep up with cleaning and what others don't. I want gas station workers to be aware of this and what happens when these get dirty.
itsFlnkR
I work at a caseys general store and everything we use to make food there is pretty well cleaned. Now the fountain machines I don't clean
lunicow
The pub I worked at put them in soda water every night when we were shut, takes a couple mins to do in the morn/eve, kept them clean.
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
I'm a gas station so I don't have time to let them soak. I have to wash 3 at a time so customers still have access to the drinks.
FuckGlitter
Are you the manager? You should be the manager?
Strostkovy
This is why I only get gas at gas stations. It's a little hard to keep down but I know it's healthier for me.
Aemor
That's just gross. Where I work we clean and sanitize those every single night
ChrisPrattsTinyNipples
I used to work in a movie theater, and we just soaked them in carbonated water every night. They rarely were washed, and they were nasty.
NaCh0Libre
Ditto
RickyMadeja
You don't even wanna see what I pulled out of the nozzle on the sweet tea dispenser at my job at an incredibly popular nation wide chain.
FurbySavant
Was it Taco Bell? Because after working at Taco Bell, I learned only I cared enough to clean those. Or the dispenser.
RickyMadeja
Jimmy Johns. I too found out I was the only one cleaning them--and I don't close anymore so no ones cleans them
biclighter
Mountain eeew
BunnyliciousBubblegum
I work at a deli that has a soda fountain and I clean them every night.
Steelhart
Yeah. Don't get sodas from Subway like that either. The yeast from the bread gets into the air and then in there. It's pretty gross.
AnIrishLegendaryPhotographer
And this is why I buy sealed soda bottles and not fountain drinks. Yuck.
intenseboat
See also: any bar or restaurant that has a soda gun.
Threecatsandatophat
I worked fast food B4 my current job. I was the only one to clean those...Ever. don't get soda from restaurants
Cebrail
Going against the grain here, blaaah, this super-fear of germs and anything is whats killing peoples overall immune system
Fletch2
One of the nozzles fell into my cup at McDonald's, got halfway home before realizing.
FacemanPeck
I work at a gas station. We clean all our different machines multiple times daily.
Stinson623
Reasons why I buy bottled drinks at gas stations
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
I don't blame you
AvatarYangchen
@op are you from Pittsburgh? Just noticing the way you say "needs done" instead of "needs to be done"
funkysquirrel
@op not all heros wear capes.
HogRed
Huh you'd think all these go-getter fast food employees would be jumping on this.
IrishBarBalm
Same thing at movie theaters. The nozzles get so gross if you don't clean them daily.
animatronicvelcrorat
I caught hell from my manager for tearing down things and cleaning them when a worked at Casey's. Do not eat there.
PainItForward
Ice dispensers are nasty. I worked in preventive medicine and we were constantly shutting places down due to poor testing
uimg
Thank you @op for giving a damn about your job and taking pride in it.
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
It's the reason I do my job. I care about my regulars and any customers that walk through my door.
IcommentMostlyWithGifs
If only everyone cared. Much respect to you op . The world needs more people like you.
IcommentMostlyWithGifs
Here's an idea though. Buy a shit load of those parts and keep swapping them out daily. Saves time. Soak the used ones in hot water.
IcommentMostlyWithGifs
And wash them with vinegar and detergent solution as detergents will stick to the plastic so the vinegar will make sure that doesn't happen.
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
Thank you!! I'll do that next time!!
IcommentMostlyWithGifs
BadHorsesMare
Got my crew drilled man. With those and those tea urn nozzles. I'll only get tea outta those at my store.
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
I scrub those like crazy! Inside and out. I don't know how people can't clean properly or why it's so hard.
Snopony
It's not hard. It's poor time management or lazy staff
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
Lazy staff for me.
StrawberryPrincess92
And people fucking wonder why I refuse to eat anything off the roller grill!
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
I can understand. If they're kept up, it's not bad. I always take a scrapper to ours because towels don't always get the build up off.
IcommentMostlyWithGifs
Hers an idea. Wrap the roller grill with aluminum foil and swap it out as much as it is necessary. Saves time. Makes sure it's clean.
StrawberryPrincess92
a scrapper?!? what the hell?!? Unless you mean a scraper, which is normal.
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
My phone autocorrected it. Yeah that's what I meant.
StrawberryPrincess92
Man Duck autocormfet!
DarkSock
You know, you could've saved a lot of toil just by using a regular old Plumbus…
leftovernoise
True
CommanderBallSack
I mean, that's kind of gross too. Some of the fleem is just repurposed leftovers.
Yakamuli444
DUDE! You are SO on the mark! Great call out to all food service workers and bar workers too!
Ihavepoopingproblems
Not just gas stations. Restaurants have these too. There's a reason why we have to deep clean these every closing shift.
BrettTurley
In my experience on both sides, convenient store workers give zero fucks about food safety. Restaurants are generally better.
Ihavepoopingproblems
That makes sense. I did work for a Dennys a while back that gave no shits, but everywhere else has been pretty good.
BrettTurley
The crappychino machines get sooooo nasty
Mayonnaiseisnotaninstrumentpatrick
I tear those apart to get it cleaned. There's so many pieces inside that need switched out for clean ones.
NotACanadian
Hey, is there any way I as a customer can make sure these things are clean before I use them?
Squanch
Where I work the front just kinda opens up to display everything and its all somewhat transparent stuff
NotACanadian
So I can just pop the front off for a second and see if the fountains are all full of squanch?
Squanch
Yes just please for the love of god don't squanch in there
BrettTurley
just dont eat or drink at convenient stores. ever. really.
moricai
What about WaWa?
Enderskild
Depends on the store. Sheetz is good, for instance.
summitshow
I always bought bottled stuff.. I mean in Florida were I lived, the coke were mixed with tapwater. I used to call it Clorine-Coke
poorwhitetrash
Now that is the inconvenient truth
dogneely
It's good exercise for your immune system
ERJockey
You can't stop me from eating a Speedway brat on my way home from a 12 hour ER shift!
askmenotbolin0
Im a 47 year old cook,I stand in a corner in a shipping container and cook food for hours,my boss takes orders and sits at the bar.
askmenotbolin0
Last sat I ran by quick trip,bought a microwave samdwich,3 shooter's of American honey, a microwave sandwich,and 4 power ades for dinner. Had a shot and chased it with powerade,my dinner.
Guywhospendswaytoomuchtimeonimgur
but cost co hot dogs...so cheap and so good
jakaii
Unless it's QuikTrip.
Romanticist
I work at a Kwik Trip and they have extremely high standards for cleanliness. As well as food quality. I love working there.
PrincessDonaldTrumpBANNED
That's how you build up your immune system
MikeG1218
Sushi is the exception.
Alysaere
Don't forget the egg salad sandwiches! The ones that fall down the backside of the fridge have extra toppings!
Wingacles
It came free with the fill up! What I'm supposed to do throw it away?
Ellimem
"...YES!"
Sticklebrickk
Unless you live there.
Themurderguy
You do not want to know what kinda eggs those egg salad sandwiches are made with.
CaptainLateToTheGame
I mean if they improve every aspect of my body then I'm down. Just gotta find a truck stop dispenser
anActualHumanPerson
What about inconvenient stores?
ShitALLthegoodnamesaretaken
You can't! That would be too coneveinant that there would be an inconvenience store right after you passed the convienance store! Its a trap
LeadByBadExample
Coneveinant? Convienance? Surprisingly, you got inconvenient right.
WhangaDan
Have a fake point funny man.
Felextheminimal
Those are safe
BrettTurley
Is everything on the floor, disorganized, unpriced, and requiring exact change only?
SarcasticSwede
Yes, and the floor is really slippery.
B4k4Black
Except for any straight away, there's random patches of super gripping floor just so you can't slide down them.
SarcasticSwede
And the layout of the store is that of a maze.