People have been sent to the store to investigate wzcunzhang.
When the reporter showed relevant evidence, Huang suddenly changed his statement and said: "There might be some mistakes in the store, we will certainly correct them if there are any." However, he still denied the existence of the above problems.
The dirty chopping board was used to cut cooked pig stomachs without washing.
There was a kitchen of about 9 square meters on the second floor, while the rest of the space was used for stacking goods and office work. Rice, meat, and packaged steamed food semi-finished products were piled up in disorder on the wooden floor. There was a computer on the desk, and the monitor kept playing surveillance videos from downstairs. Despite the roar of two exhaust fans in the kitchen, it was still filled with a strange smell mixed with fishy odor, oil stains, and urine stench. The tiled floor was always wet and greasy, and one had to wear rubber shoes when entering the working area to prevent slipping.
"The handling of violations by franchise stores is divided into four steps - verbal warning, written warning, fine, and cancellation of franchise rights," said Manager Luo. Currently, the company has sent people to check the Guoxiong store, and once the violation situation is verified, it will be punished according to the contract.
However, Manager Luo admitted that there were indeed shortcomings in actual operations. First was the personnel issue, as three people were responsible for patrolling more than 60 stores across the city, and each store would only be inspected once every one to two weeks on average. "It's not impossible for some stores to seize the patrol pattern and make secret moves behind the scenes," said Manager Luo. In addition, since the patrol personnel were fixed, there inevitably existed some 'personal favoritism', which caused the evaluation to be less objective.
"Coordination: Chen Haisheng, Xin Kuai Bao reporter"
Food Supervision and Industry & Commerce Inspection Found Ticket Violations
The reporter claimed to have worked in a large restaurant before and quickly gained the recognition of the boss lady, who immediately took him to visit the kitchen upstairs. The entire recruitment process did not involve any contracts or agreements, nor was a health certificate required. Only a copy of an ID card was needed, and the monthly salary was verbally agreed upon at 1800 yuan, with an additional performance bonus of around 200 yuan. Two days off per month, two shifts daily: from 8:30 am to 2 pm, and from 4 pm to 8 pm. Besides the family of four including the boss couple, there was also one chef and two waiters in the store, with only the chef wearing a white uniform.
■ Stove full of dirt (all pictures in this edition were taken by reporters) ■ Dirty water washing chickens ■ Meat and bowls washed together ■ Washing rice on the floor
The reporter went undercover at the Guoxiong branch of the "Datang Roast Goose" chain, where the kitchen was found to be covered in grease and the hygiene conditions were worrying.
Law enforcement officers stated that the Guoxiong store had incomplete and irregular purchase tickets. Currently, joint law enforcement officers have launched an investigation into the store, and the specific results will be announced soon.
Every evening, the kitchen began preparing for the next day's breakfast and lunch markets. "We need to prepare 14 chickens tomorrow," the chef estimated based on the sales volume and inventory of the day. The boss brought out boxes of frozen chickens from the refrigerator and filled the sink with water to soak and defrost them. After a night, the chickens were fully defrosted, and the reporter was called to wash them. These chickens were wholesale frozen chickens, their internal organs had been removed, but the lungs and fat were still present. From the black fat and darkened lungs, it could be seen that these chickens had been dead for quite some time. When washing the chickens, the boss continuously brought up stacks of dishes used by customers downstairs and placed them in the sink, saying, "There aren't enough plates, wash them quickly, we need to use them." Thus, the reporter washed both the dishes and the chickens simultaneously. Soon, the sink was filled with chicken fat, chicken lungs, vegetable leaves, rice, and肠粉etc. Due to excessive grease, the washed dishes were still oily. The boss urged, "Rinse them with clean water quickly."
"Food safety" is a frequently discussed topic, and with the approach of the "March 15 Consumer Rights Protection Day", "eating with peace of mind" has once again become a focus of discussion among citizens. Recently, Xin Kuai Bao received a tip-off from a former employee of a branch of the local brand roast goose chain store "Datang Roast Goose", claiming that the Guoxiong branch located on Zhixin South Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, involved using leftover food from customers, employees urinating in the food preparation area, and selling spoiled food among other "black curtains".
Recently, a person named A Jian (a pseudonym), who claimed to have been an employee of the Guoxiong branch of Datang Roast Goose, revealed that during his two-month employment there, he saw many things that were "hard to bear".
Huang insisted that the ingredients purchased by the store every day were basically sold out on the same day, and any leftovers would either be stored in the refrigerator or returned to the supplier. "At most, it would just be a bit messy during busy times, but I would always have the employees clean up afterward." Regarding whether there were employees mixing the kitchen with the toilet, reselling reheated food, or privately purchasing ingredients, Huang denied all accusations.
"Coordination: Chen Haisheng, Xin Kuai Bao reporter"
Washing Vegetables
A Jian introduced that the boss required them to reheat the leftover vegetables from customers and serve them to the next batch of customers, and he himself had done it multiple times. A Jian also said that the hygiene conditions in the operation room on the second-floor loft were concerning. "The water for washing dishes is rarely changed, and the pots containing cooked chicken, duck, and goose are randomly placed on the ground, easily splashed with dirty water." Moreover, there was no toilet in the store, and male employees often solved their needs right in the operation area.
Former Employee Tip-Off
Datang Roast Goose Headquarters: Private Purchase of Ingredients by Franchise Stores Is a Violation
According to A Jian, dim sum and roasted meat were directly supplied by the manufacturer, while the store frequently sold white-cut chicken, soy sauce chicken, and shredded chicken, which were frozen chickens purchased by the boss and processed in-store. "These chickens often have black spots on the breast meat, which is scary to look at," A Jian said. When encountering such possibly spoiled ingredients, the boss would instruct the employees to first soak the chickens in buckets of a certain liquid, then coat them with coloring, "this way the black spots disappear, and the chickens look very fresh."
Inside the kitchen stood a single-head gas stove, with yellow-black grease stains cracked and flaking off. A pot of boiling congee sat on top, and the iron spoon used for stirring was directly placed on the grease. On the other side, two large freezers had meat slices, knives, and vegetables haphazardly thrown inside. When making肠粉, the boss would grab a handful of meat with greasy hands from a plastic bag, take a knife to chop directly on the freezer surface, then throw it into the steaming tray. The Chinese cabbage was simply cut open with a knife, unwashed, and boiled directly. There was no toilet anywhere in the entire food shop.
Yesterday afternoon, in response to the reported sanitary conditions, relevant staff members of the Datang Roast Goose headquarters stated that the company has strict management and distribution systems for both direct-operated and franchised stores. After learning about the suspected violations at the Guoxiong store, the headquarters had already sent personnel to conduct on-site investigations, and once verified, penalties would be imposed according to the franchise contract. Relevant departments have also initiated an investigation into the store. Personnel have been dispatched to investigate within the store.
Environment
No Contracts Required, No Health Certificates Needed
Xin Kuai Bao and Yangcheng Evening News reporters conducted a covert investigation at the Guoxiong store and found that the kitchen's hygiene conditions were alarming. Currently, the Yuexiu District Food and Drug Health Supervision and Administration Bureau, the industry and commerce department, etc., have initiated an investigation. Meanwhile, relevant responsible persons of Datang Roast Goose stated that after learning about the suspected violations at the Guoxiong store, the headquarters had already dispatched personnel to investigate, and once verified, penalties would be imposed according to the franchise contract.
Employees sought convenience and often resolved their needs right in the operation area.
During the inspection, an employee of the Guoxiong store was cleaning the operation room on the second floor with the door closed, and the boss Huang opened it only after repeated knocking. The law enforcement officers did not find obvious hygiene or food safety issues, but there were still many contaminants in the corners, and the cabinets, refrigerators, and other cooking utensils still had noticeable stains. "What the condition was like when we came in, you know yourself, hygiene work must be done well," the law enforcement officer told boss Huang.
Cutting Meat
"Leftover Dishes Reheated Again, Burnt Duck Sold as Burnt Goose"
A Jian, a Jiangxi native in his 30s, has worked in the catering industry for over ten years. Last October, A Jian applied to work as a steamer at the Guoxiong store. Upon joining, the boss did not require him to provide a health certificate; he only showed his ID card and easily obtained this job with a monthly salary of 1800 yuan.
Meat and Dishes Washed in the Same Basin of Water
Regular Inspections Have Loopholes
A Jian said what he never expected was that the boss required them to sell burnt duck as burnt goose. "Every day the store receives supplies, with cheaper burnt ducks numbering 9 to 10, and more expensive burnt geese only one or two, thus allowing an extra profit of 3 to 5 yuan per serving."
Manager Luo said that all roasted meats sold in Datang Roast Goose stores were supplied by the headquarters processing plant, with direct-operated stores receiving deliveries from the headquarters, and franchise stores picking up supplies from the processing plant themselves. For the delivery process, the company has a strict set of procedures. "Burnt ducks and geese should be transported using dedicated stainless steel boxes and hooks, otherwise, it would affect the quality of the product," Manager Luo said. This time, the undercover investigation discovered that the boss of the Guoxiong store privately purchased frozen chickens and other ingredients, and recruited workers without checking health certificates, which violated the franchise contract.
■ Written by Xin Kuai Bao reporters Wang Lübin, Ruan Jianhua, Chen Haisheng, and intern Zhu Shuoran
Franchise Store Boss Denies Violations: "Mistakes Will Happen, But We Will Certainly Correct Them"
Manager Luo indicated that the company headquarters is considering changing regular inspections to random, irregular inspections, or introducing professional survey companies for evaluations. At the same time, the company will increase the severity of penalties for violations in stores.
If verified to have violations, the most severe penalty would be confiscation of the deposit and revocation of the franchise qualification.
The kitchen was permeated with a foul smell of fishiness and urine.
"When the boss eats the food in the store, it never happens," A Jian said. Every day, the boss would buy vegetables separately and have the cook prepare meals for the employees. If the cook had no time to prepare meals for the employees, the boss would cut some roasted meats for everyone to eat, "as for chicken, we almost never ate it."
In addition, for the dim sum sold in the store, if there were leftovers from customers or unsold items, the boss would instruct the employees to categorize and collect them, then uniformly steam them again for resale. If customers wanted take-out, the "recycled dim sum" would be placed at the bottom, with fresh ones on top, "once the customers get home and discover the problem, they can only blame themselves."
■ Written by Xin Kuai Bao reporters Ruan Jianhua, Wang Lübin, Chen Haisheng, and intern Zhu Shuoran
Another task for the reporter was cutting pig stomachs. More than ten pig stomachs were boiled in the pot for nearly an hour, turning the whole pot of water into a thick, dark yellow consistency. The pig stomachs were transferred to the sink for soaking, the temperature had not yet dropped, and the water turned white. The cracked plastic chopping board was covered with black grime, but the boss did not indicate cleaning it, pointing and saying, "Just cut it directly on it." The boss further instructed that there was a trick to cutting pig stomachs, "you need to cut diagonally, this way it will appear bigger." About half an hour later, the pig stomachs were cut, and the whole basin of water floated with grease, sticking to the walls of the stainless steel basin. After draining the pig stomachs, they were packed in plastic bags and reserved for use, ready to be sent downstairs for customer consumption when needed.
The rice in the steaming pan was spread flat, and the chef fetched previously fried chicken oil, evenly coating it on the rice surface. He said, "This way, the steamed rice will be fragrant." Three bags of rice used the same basin of water, and this basin of water was also used to wash meat, chicken, dishes, pans, etc.
Throughout the morning, including washing meat, chicken, dishes, and basins, the sink water was only changed three times.
The boss of the Guoxiong branch of Datang Roast Goose, Mr. Huang, introduced that the store opened in May last year, at which time he joined both the "Datang Roast Goose" and "Health Delivery" brands. The roasted meats and dim sum sold in the store were delivered daily by these two factories, while the rice and vegetables used for meal preparation were prepared in-house.
Rice Sieve Randomly Placed, Seeping Dirty Water
The Guoxiong store operates breakfast, lunch, and dinner, mainly featuring steamed and roasted foods. To the left of the store, about 100 meters away, is the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and to the right, about 100 meters away, is the Zhixin South Road Primary School, with a large flow of people and booming business.
Cooking
Recruitment
Undercover Reporter
Due to the booming business, the store needed a large amount of rice every day, needing to steam three bags of rice daily. Before steaming, the boss fetched a bag full of chicken fat from somewhere, dumping it all into the frying pan. The fat was not fresh, and after frying for not long, it "popped" and produced oil, emitting waves of foul odors. The boss then lit a cigarette and continued with other tasks. Ten minutes later, the fat was completely black, and the frying pan was filled with chicken oil, emitting a strong fragrance.
The sink was filled with water, and a rice sieve was placed on top. The rice was poured in and stirred a few times, considered washed. After draining the water, the chef bent over to lift the sieve out of the sink, turning around to place it on the ground in front of the approximately two-meter-high steaming machine with a "bang", then scooping the rice onto the stainless steel steaming pan with an oily plastic spoon. When the reporter bent down to scoop the rice, they could smell a strong urine stench. The rice sieve seeped water, and the accumulated dirty water naturally seeped into the rice.
Xin Kuai Bao News: Around 5 PM yesterday afternoon, after receiving the clues provided by the reporter, law enforcement officers from the Yuexiu District Food and Drug Supervision and Administration Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Branch, and the street level authorities carried out a joint operation, inspecting the involved Guoxiong branch of Datang Roast Goose.
On February 10 at 10 AM, the reporter arrived at the "Datang Roast Goose・Guoxiong Store" located opposite the Nonglin Street Community Service Center on Zhixin South Road to apply for a job. The store had two notices posted at its entrance indicating long-term recruitment. That afternoon at 4 PM, the reporter "started work" and began undercover investigation. Over the following few days, the reporter found that the issues mentioned by the informant, such as "recooking leftover porridge and soup from customers for resale, stale dim sum exclusively for takeaway, substituting roasted duck for roasted goose," did not occur, but the hygiene conditions of the store were indeed "dirty, messy, and poor," with the kitchen permeated with a urine-like smell beyond the usual meaty stench.
