Pregnant Woman Walks Into Panda Express. Then the Worker’s Diabolical Move Makes Her Turn Around: ‘From One of the Pans They Cook’
Perception is everything.
A 22-weeks-pregnant mother of 10, Jamie, who goes by @jamiegirl85 on TikTok, recently shared an experience that quickly spiraled into a viral moment. One day, she found herself hungry and exhausted, and pulled into a Panda Express outlet for a quick bite. When she walked in, she was ready to eat. However, she ended up walking right back out after spotting a cleaning process that, to her eyes, looked completely unsanitary.
Jamie captured the scene in a video and shared it with her followers, where it quickly racked up over 37.6k views and sparked a flurry of comments. In her caption, which included several vomiting emojis, she wrote, “Why did I walk in the panda express 22 weeks pregnant ready to eat and this is what I see he’s washing the walls and the cooking area with a mop from one of the pans they cook out of WTF.”
The footage shows a worker using a long-handled tool to scrub the walls and cooking surfaces. He repeatedly dips the tool into a steaming wok or pan that appears to contain hot water.
It is easy to see why this would be alarming
Pregnant folks tend to have a heightened sensitivity to hygiene and food safety; and seeing a tool that looks like a mop being dipped into a cooking vessel is obviously going to look like a major red flag. However, Jamie’s experience serves as a perfect example of how customer perception and behind-the-scenes restaurant operations can be worlds apart.
Once the video started circulating, the comments section became a fascinating hub of insider knowledge. Current and former Panda Express employees quickly jumped in to clarify what was actually happening. Many pointed out that the tool being used was not a floor mop at all, but a specialized scrub brush meant specifically for cleaning grills, fryers, and walls.
As one commenter, Kayshay, explained, “That’s usually a closing procedure. And based on the look of the steam table they are closing. that’s not a ‘mop’ , it’s only used in hot water.” Other former workers echoed this, noting that the woks are subjected to high heat for ten minutes after service, which kills bacteria, and then they undergo a thorough washing and sanitization process with cleaning solutions once the store is officially closed.
Suzie, who identified herself as a former employee, shared, “That is a scrub meant for the walls. There is cleaning solution in the wok with hot water. That brush touches nowhere else but what you see and the wok is cleaned after and sanitized again for extra protection.” It is reassuring to hear that these chains have such strict cleaning policies, even if the visual of a closing procedure looks a bit chaotic to an outsider.
This is not the first time Panda Express has faced scrutiny over its cleaning practices
Another incident recently resurfaced on X, where a video showed a Panda Express employee cleaning the upper portion of a kitchen while standing on top of a fryer. According to the Daily Dot, in that video, food was still being prepared and served to customers simultaneously.
Tony Lane, a commentator who shared the footage on his account, expressed concern over the lack of separation between cleaning and food service. He stated, “Employees need clear training on this, and customers deserve to trust that what they’re eating wasn’t compromised by a shortcut.”
While the Panda Express situation involving the scrubber seems to be a misunderstanding of closing protocols, the video shared by Lane highlights a different type of concern regarding cross-contamination and the timing of cleaning tasks. In that instance, viewers were rightfully bothered by the idea of someone cleaning near active food preparation areas.
Some commenters on that post shared their own frustrations with fast food hygiene. One user noted, “The guy is wearing dirty shoes, making sure all the germs and dust get into the food too.”
It goes without saying that food safety is a massive priority for diners
Whether it is a pregnant customer like Jamie or someone watching a viral clip on X, people want to know that their meal is being handled with care. The gap between what looks like a “diabolical move” to a customer and what is actually a standard, albeit messy-looking, closing procedure is a reminder that kitchen operations are complex.
While videos on social media can spark massive public conversations about hygiene, it is important to consider the context provided by those who actually work in the industry. For now, it seems the consensus among the staff is that these cleaning procedures are part of a strict, multi-step process designed to keep things sanitary, even if they don’t always look that way to a hungry customer walking through the front door.
(Featured images: jamiegirl/mama of 10 @jamiegirl85 on TikTok, Harrison Keely)
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