Good gawd! In addition to the spray, the action of chewing and ORDERING could result in the wrong food being served. This is a travesty of justice! SCOTUS ought to have a field day with this right.
Imagine! All those servers just walking around doing whatever they like like nobodies business. As if every random Joe doesn’t have the right to control their actions so that the servers fit their every minor aesthetic concern. There ought to be a law.
Waiters chew gum because they chug coffee like mad. Non-alcoholic drinks are free during shifts and every restaurant has a huge pile of half-filled coffee cups behind closed doors where servers can chug as they pass by. I used to have a routine- I’d move my cup from one end of the server’s station to the other, then move it back as I passed by, and then refill. You don’t really want to listen to someone who’s just had a half-dozen mugs of coffee tell you the daily specials.
To say the least. I know at least one major fast food chain forbids men from being other than close shaven.
More likely the reverse. I know where I live certain staff members are required to wear rubber gloves where before it they didn’t. If any Health Department now bans gum chewing, likely it was a policy they added more recently. I suspect places with rules against it did it of their own initiative, as in it disgusts customers. As I mentioned before, even though gum chewing was allowed by policy, if I pushed the issue “many customers ARE complaining”, I’d have likely got my way. In most markets servers are easily replaced and are expendable. It isn’t likely a no gum chewing policy would mean finding new servers to be very difficult. The food was on the expensve side for what it was, with many affluent customers (think in terms of tip size here.) IOW many servers in the area would switch to working there from much of the competition because they’d take home bigger $. They’d give up gum chewing for 50% more income.
At Pizza Huts with lunch buffet dining, it is the same. While there are spatulas to handle the food, impossible to stop people from using their hands. Think kids wanting another slice of pepperoni. This would be true for any pizza place with buffet dining. It ain’t like pizza needs to be “scooped” on the platter.
Exactly!
It was this attitude I was reflecting on. I recognize that employers can require certain behaviors from their employees.
UM, that’s an example. Evidence is what I, um, asked for in the OP.
Sorry for the snarky tone, DSYoungEsq.
I asked for a factual answer and have been getting lots of IMHO responses. I think my question–and stated objection–is reasonable.
OK. The factual answer to your question - why don’t health codes ban gum chewing by servers - is this: gum chewing by servers dies not pose a health risk to anyone.
That said, people have had a follow up question for you: why would you think it is a health risk?
Clearer?
I chew gum as a server. I have the worst ever gum habit, and I really have no desire to quit.
First, you cannot have evidence of a negative. If a health code never addressed gum, you wouldn’t know it by the evidence, unless you had every health code ever known to man available and could look through it.
Second, your OP asked whether or not health codes dealt with gum. That question, yes, should produce a factual response along the lines of “Here is a citation to the local health code, which is devoid of anything regulating gum chewing.” But your follow up post, to which I responded, said, “Health codes may have eased, in recent years, to allow–or merely not to mention–gum chewing.” This implied that you assume they at one time DID address gum chewing; it was to this I was suggesting evidence would be helpful.
I don’t have time–or the ability–to provide specific citations, but here are a few quick snatches. One site (which I can no longer locate), specifically mentions “food handlers,” which may include servers.
Metro Public Health Department of Nashville/Davidson County
Krystal
2054 Metro Center Blvd
Date Inspected: 8-06-04
Score: 48
Major Violations: Open soda on work station, no
lid, no straw, half drunk. No one washed hands
before putting on gloves, manager chewing gum.
Temp of liquid egg in 32oz. Carton 79.5 (embargoed).
Waste-water leaking on to the floor. Ants crawling
on table where the “swing” seats are.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Of the 106 households surveyed in 81 cities throughout the United States and Canada, cross-contamination occurred in 76 percent of kitchens, neglected hand washing occurred in 57 percent, and improper cooling of leftovers occurred in 29 percent of kitchens–all critical violations. At least one critical violation was found in 96 percent of households with an average of almost three per home. Major violations such as storing foods without covers, improper thawing, and smoking, eating, drinking or chewing gum while preparing food also were observed. In the end, only one house received an acceptable rating. None rated excellent.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:hrNzGjK_G7IJ:www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdcookin.html+chewing+gum+restaurants+health+violation&hl=en
Jefferson County Department of Health
Food Establishment Inspection Report
Employee chewing gum. Do not eat or drink in the kitchen except in the designated area.
Dennison, Texas
An employee was observed chewing gum in kitchen area.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:pC5oBWhBSw8J:www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2005/02/06/local_news/food/iq_1737394.txt+chewing+gum+restaurants+"major+violation"&hl=en
Wednesday, August 02, 2000
Las Vegas Review-Journal
J.J.'s Snack Shack, 599 Greenway Road, Henderson, received 13 demerits July 19. A B grade was posted. Violations included chemicals stored on sink drainboard and food handler chewing gum.
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:oP3x9dZ9hYwJ:www.lvrj.com/cgi-bin/printable.cgi%3F/lvrj_home/2000/Aug-02-Wed-2000/lifestyles/14057678.html+“chewing+gum”+restaurant+violation+food+health+-school+-found+-find&hl=en
Yavapai County Health Code – Adopted 8/16/04
"Food” means a raw, cooked, or processed edible substance, ice, beverage, oringredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for humanconsumption, or chewing gum
>>>Apparently, health code inspectors consider chewing gum to be food.
Chapter 8.44
RESTAURANTS4
“Food” as used in this chapter is defined to mean all articles used for food, drink, liquor, confectionery, condiment or chewing gum by human beings whether such articles are simple, mixed or compound.
C. “Food handler” means and includes any person who engages or serves in any work, occupation or employment which requires or occasions the handling of any food or drink for human consumption or the handling of any dishes or other articles used in the preparation or service of such food or drink.
http://www.longbeach.gov/apps/cityclerk/lbmc/title-08/chapter-8-44.htm
AIB Consolidated Standards forRetail Food Establishments
American Institute of Baking
Eating food, drinking beverages, and chewing gum shall be restricted to designated areas away from preparation or service areas. No employee shall use tobacco in any form while engaged in the washing of eating and cooking utensils or in the preparation, handling, or serving of food
Critical Safety Factor 1 Food Products are handled in a safe and sanitary manner. Any actual or potential exposure of physical, chemical, or biological hazards to food products is considered handling of foods in a manner that is not safe or sanitary. Thisfactor is broad based. Examples of findings for this factor would include, but are not limited to: Correct food product holding times and procedures No smoking, using tobacco or chewing gum while handling foods No eating in food-preparation
Very good. So you essentially managed to answer your own question, n’est-ce pas? 
I imagine you were chewing gum while you wrote that. 
Ewww, never. It’s a disgusting, unsanitary habit, and it makes you look like a cow. 