Panda Express says it retrained staff after video showed employee cleaning near food
Key Takeaways
- •The footage was reportedly recorded at a Panda Express location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in early July.
- •The person who filmed the incident said an employee sprayed cleaner and wiped the station while standing over food being prepared.
- •The video shows another employee reaching through the cleaner’s legs to place a bowl of food into a fry basket.
- •Panda Express said it acted immediately after the video was brought to its attention and said the behavior violated its safety standards.
- •The company said it took corrective action, retrained employees, and reinforced safety procedures with the restaurant team and region.
A video has emerged purportedly showing a Panda Express employee stepping around food while cleaning a frying station as meals were being prepared.
Paul Elisha Finger, who captured the footage, told Storyful that he "noticed the gentleman jump on the fryer that the lady had just put food into" when he visited a Panda Express location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in early July.
According to Finger, the worker then "started spraying the chemical and wiping [while] standing right over the food."
"I could not believe my eyes," Finger told Storyful.
A Panda Express spokesperson told FOX Business on Tuesday that "We acted immediately when the video was first brought to our attention."
"The behavior shown does not meet our food safety or workplace safety standards. We took corrective action, conducted retraining, and reinforced safety procedures with the restaurant team and in the region. The safety of our guests and associates remains our top priority," the spokesperson added.
The video shows a female employee reaching through the cleaner’s legs to drop a bowl of food into one of the fry baskets, as the male worker apparently was cleaning the exhaust hood area of the fry station.
The episode highlights the close attention restaurant chains face around food handling and worker safety, especially when cleaning chemicals and food prep happen in the same area. For a brand that promotes itself around consistency across a large store footprint, routine safety procedures can become part of the public conversation quickly when customers record incidents on their phones.
Panda Express says on its website that its food is a "flavorful combination of Chinese regional cuisine and technique with bold American tastes."
Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., says on its website that "Panda Express, the nation’s largest Asian restaurant chain, has revolutionized American Chinese cuisine. Founded in 1983, the family-owned business has grown into a culinary powerhouse, seamlessly marrying authentic Chinese flavors with American tastes." The company adds, "With over 2,600 locations worldwide, Panda Express has played a pivotal role in popularizing American Chinese cuisine to millions around the world."
