Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
How clean are those ice cubes again?
I'm used to refraining from ice cubes in my beverages while in third world countries. But after the Chicago Sun Times published an article on ice cube quality in the greater Chicago area, I might have to start declining in the great US of A as well. In a series of tests across 49 fast food and casual dining restaurants, The Sun found that over 43% of them had higher bacterial levels than the toilet water in the Sun Building. Twenty percent of the samples had bacterial levels that were considered "high."My favorite part of the article is where they actually list the restaurants where they found high percentages of bacteria in the ice cubes. It's great to call out these businesses on their cleanliness and I'd like to continue that tradition here. Take heed, fair Chicagoans: Restaurants in Chicago with high levels of total coliform bacteria:
- Applebee's at 7519 S. Cicero
- Chipotle Mexican Grill at 10 S. LaSalle
- Starbucks at 444 N. Michigan
- Asiago Express at 176 N. Wells
- Outback Steakhouse at 216 E. Golf Rd. in Schaumburg
- Burger King at 6950 S. Pulaski
- Caribou Coffee at 3025 N. Clark
- Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery at 1 W. Grand (I think I ate here last November!)
- The Drake Hotel at 140 E. Walton
- The Hyatt Regency Chicago at 151 E. Wacker
- The Sheraton Chicago at 301 E. North Water
Filed under: Activism, Food and Drink, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Martin Dec 5th 2007 1:36PM
This continual comparison to bacteria counts in toilet water needs to stop. Toilets at restaurants are cleaned every day with harsh chemicals including bleach, which effectively kill all bacteria. Using the general idea of a toilet being dirty to say something else is even worse is a horrible and unscientific benchmark.
John Tang Dec 5th 2007 3:49PM
if i made ice cubes with toilet water would you drink it? it has less bacteria though!
William J. Vitale, M.D. Dec 8th 2007 3:40AM
Fecal bacteria is far more than disgusting. While someone else's e-coli "may not be bad for you",
its presence is the benchmark for fecal contamination and all the other serious and sometimes deadly micro-organisms that may be in the sample - especially hepatitis, for example.
The local and state health inspectors are obiously not doing their jobs!
gary jennings Dec 13th 2007 5:26PM
I work on ice machines. some managers are unwilling to pay for my time to clean and sanitize their machines until customers complain of slime in their drink. It usually doesn't show in a frappiccino thus going unnoticed for months. inspectors?? have you done business with a government employee??