Disgusting BOH environment.
I was hired on without a trail nor meeting the cdc. (The cdc found out I was hired only an hour before my first shift.) Being hired by a director of ops for management is not uncommon but this certainly raised flags.
First Shift: Arrived and was quickly introduced to the chef and pastry chef, in the prep room, with stacks and stacks of dirty dishes (in the sink, on the floor, and on the prep table.) Noticed their protein order chilling on the floor, going mostly unnoticed except for when it was in the way of the chef and they budged it out of their way with their foot.
This includes shrimp thawing in a dirty bucket of water on the ground next to a slab of meat thawing on a milk crate… just like that. Not in water or a container.
Inside the walk in there are raw proteins hanging out with cooked proteins, raw produced and resting above cakes. The mushrooms were all spore and molding, rotten carrots line the bottom of their lexan because the prep just dumps on top when orders arrive.
Same goes with the beets, potatoes, and squash.
Later on, service begins.
Gloves were seldomly used, only for raw proteins. Bottles were just refilled (not emptied, cleaned then refilled) and left sitting out all service. THE FUCKING “TEMPURA BATTER” was a six pan of water and corn starch that was simply reused since whothefuckknows.
Oysters just sitting out on the cooler not on ice.
Hood vents look untouched for months, same with the floors and lowboys. Speaking of lowboys, most aside from the freezer were registering at 45F (this includes the walk-in)
Countertops, including chef’s pass was just messy and no one had sanitizer wipes nor a bucket. Just wipe it down with the dirty rag.
I might get into the second shift and my final day in another post.
This has truly been a highlight from my tiring journey of trying to cook in NYC.
by SendMeDiscoHits
35 Comments
Oh. My. God
that is absolutely appalling
Good god. This is disgusting. Will not be going there.
Need a Gordon Ramsey intervention
This is the NOMAD location?
That’s….that’s illegal.
Before being let go for not wanting to train their cdc at a sous level with no benefit for myself (this would have been a lot of energy and time), I sent in an action plan for the kitchen. This is all based off of two days of employment. I’ve been in the industry for years and while I’m new to the city, I’m not new to lack of organization and a dip in sanitation but this space took the cake.
​
Clear signage to address
House rules
>A handbook can be forgotten, a posted sign can be immediately addressed
Proper labels
>Product Name
>Date
>Initials of Cook Responsible
Cleaning tasks
Prep schedule
A dedicated section of the walk-in wall (after scrubbed) for BEO, prep lists, order board (for hourlies to note they 86’d an item.)
Implement Opening Procedures
Implement Closing Procedures
>for cooks and porters
Training
>Current and New
>Proper cooldown practices
>Proper cleaning/sanitization practices
>Understanding expiration and freshness
>Food Storage Safety & Standards
>Icing Seafood
>>In the walk-in AND on the line; no one wants warm oysters
>Proper Protein Stacking
>Labels
>Consolidation
>Using trays for station mise en place
>Food Handling Practices
>>Gloves for ready to eat food
>>Washing produce
>Sanitizer buckets on stations; changed every 3 hours by a porter or cook
>No proteins left on station over night
Massive Team Deep Clean
>GUT the walk-in and freezer
>>Most items out of a one week window will be tossed
>Pull out shelving to deep clean
>Call in or hand wash hood vents
>Scrub out ovens
>Break down the grill
>Dry Storage
>Kitchen
>Scrub down lowboys
>Fans
>Reduce unnecessary containers
>Space taken is space wasted; make it count
>Prep Room
>Flour and Sugar bins
>Fans
>Ovens
Reorganize
A space for towels, aprons, and coats near the locker room
Dry Storage
Order
>Scales
>Robotcoupe Blade
>Drawer Storage for Tools
>Pans! For the love of God
>Pots
>Figure out how to fix Induction Burner dial or buy two new ones
>Containers
>Tape dispensers
Who is the head chef?? Where is their place on this? Literally checked and thousands of people have eaten here. Those conditions can kill somebody.
I would send an email with pictures/videos to the health dept or chef ramsay to wake up the kitchen staff and the owner.
Big NOPE.
Call the city. Jaysus
Which location? Murray hill or nomad?
The public needs to know. This could literally kill someone. Disgusting.
Thank you for sharing will never go
Don’t know this place but I assumed it was some random restaurant but turns you they’re highly rated and pricey… wth
I can’t even imagine the smell of salmon stored like that…
Let me guess: They also have an “A” grade from the Department of Health. Someone’s getting paid.
lol. this restaurant is over
Lawsuit my guy
Upvoting for awareness – my god
Doubt I’ll ever find myself here but I applaud you for standing up and letting us know.
Thank you for sharing and being the whistle blower. The public really needs to know!
There goes my sushi,….. My raw fish
I had this place ‘saved’ on my Google maps. Jesus.
That y I don’t eat out. As a former restaurant worker 90% of the time your eating left over mix with a small portion of freshly cooked food, no one cares about anything but their pockets, I left when I was cooking at my workplace one day the stake fell an I see the waiter pick it up an plate it back on the plate an took it out. Management said nothing to her but fired me cuz make it a big problem.
I don’t trust sea food in most restaurants in the city. Moment you bite, you’ll know that the fish is 6 days old at minimum. Only way to get fresh fish is go to the market and buy it.
Submit this where it needs to be submitted, health department. Good job for not putting up with that kind of BS.
The real question is which restaurants are not like this…
And they charge $42 for that shit. Disgusting
Welcome to NYC. Manhattan is filthy as fuck.
People definitely getting parasites from this 🤢
Post this on their google page
Omg! Is this the nomad one? Ate there a few months ago and I told my husband the fish tasted old! It wasn’t even remotely worth the price. Now I feel sick.
Thanks for speaking up. Makes me wonder how many cooks are content just overlooking shit like this.
I’ve never heard good things about this place and now I know why! I feel lucky to have avoided such kitchens in nyc so far.
Just saw this on instagram! Haha I think it’s gonna take off and get some attention. Hopefully