I’ve seen servers chewing gum in many, many restaurants–typically the national chains and franchises. It annoys me, but they act completely nonchalant, as though it’s their right.
I’m sure company handbooks frown on chewing gum, but how do county/state health department regulations typically weigh in on the matter?
I can’t think of a single reason why chewing gum would pose a potential health risk.
I don’t understand; why would this be a health code violation?
I’ve never heard of such a healthcode rule.
I do think the practice is tasteless though.
In the not so distant past I have worked as a manager at a restaurant. Including dealing direct with county health department inspectors. Back then it was legal in my state. The catch would be possible cross contamination with food. So long as hands were washed immediately after putting gum in mouth, 100% OK. If said employee chewed gum like me, it could never contaminate food after chewing.
Management could by their own policy ban it. But that would be for aesthetic reasons, not health code.
Come to think of it, I guess the servers would get spit on their fingers when removing an old piece of gum. Maybe that’s what Carnac is thinking of?
Read my previous post. Some folks never remove gum from mouth other than by swallowing.
That’s right! Gum chewing is a privilege extended by the state! Not a right! 
chewing gum seems like a minor offense compared to say, sprinkling dried feces on your food. (yes, i realize the story isn’t about a server)
Hypothetically there could be health code violation - chewing gum activates salivary glands, which means the server is more likely to “spray it, not say it.” Also gum chewers have their mouths open more often, and sometimes spray or dribble even when not talking. And if they try to swallow it so they don’t have to wash their hand, they may gag or choke, spraying even more.
The health codes were written to minimize all risk, not just to cover tell managers and servers not to leave the hamburger out overnight. I personally hope some managers and state health code agencies have caught on that chewing gum poses a risk!
Cheryl
It is arguably the right if the gum chewer owns the restaurant. Would it be legal for the heath department to ban me wearing a purple shirt while on the premises if I owned the place? I’d think no, unless the heath department could provide credible scientific evidence that purple shirts threaten public health. Now some health code rules may not seem obvious, but the health department could issue a violation if they at least representated some possible heath danger.
Can you cite even one health code reg in the US that actually bans all gum chewing? What if the manager always wore a surgical mask?
A lot of people chew gum to keep their breath fresh. I don’t see how it would be a health violation, unless someone spit it in your food, and then they’d probably do it without the gum.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a server chewing gum. I’d be offended if I did, though. Disgusting habit, IMO.
I don’t know. I’ve had servers who had really bad breath and apparently didn’t realize it, and leaned in close to tell me about all their specials.
I’ve had the “typical” gum-chewing server, chewing loudly and smacking. Eeew.
And I’ve had unobtrusive chewers, that mostly kept their mouths closed. I don’t mind this. I prefer that then bad breath.
Just an aside here. When I was a manager I can’t think of seeing any company reg either way about gum chewing. I’d guess if I passionately argued for banning gum chewing (say because it makes for a “poor image in the customer’s mind”), nobody would have pushed the issue to the max to try and stop me. I guess in theory some black employee might try and argue that gum chewing is somehow “mostly a black thing”, and it was a roundabout way of getting rid of black employees. However, unless the employee had hard stats proving while only 10% of the population, 90% of gum chewers were black, they’d likely be laughed at. Including even the black employees there. I never noticed blacks tending to chew gum there with a greater frequency than non-whites.
(Now, had I tried to ban hairstyles that were typically worn by blacks, I could easily manage getting sacked.)
Which is why as having been a manager of a restaurant I can conceive of possibly making a policy banning it. What if in one week 3 different regular customers complained about Jane, said to have a very obnoxious gum chewing habit. (She ALWAYS chews huge wads of gum on the job.) The head manager overrides me, and I suggest to the customers calling the corporate complaint telephone number. Message filters down through the bureacracy, and my boss’ boss gets on his case about it. This would be a Bad Thing. Much better just to let me handle it. No trouble with the big bosses, and if Jane complains he just tells her “policy is policy”, and he doesn’t like micromanaging at that level. Path of least resistance for him, and if Jane gets mad she just likely just hates me. And if multiple customers really are complaining about Jane, we’d likely both consider her…um, “expendable.”
Qadgop, old bean, one gives up many “rights” when one walks through an employer’s doorway. Freedom of speech at the work site, among others.
Health codes may have eased, in recent years, to allow–or merely not to mention–gum chewing. I think kitchen staff once had to wear hair nets, but that could be an urban legend.
Um, you are missing the point. So far as anyone knows, they never DID ban gum chewing. Do you have evidence to the contrary? :dubious:
Health codes permit (at least in PA) gas stations to sell self-serve pizza. I have seen customers with filthy hands handle adjacent slices as they free-up the slice they wish to purchase. Any one of those customers could be a hepatitis excreting non-handwasher. And you are surprised they allow gum chewing?