Florida Restaurant Worker Was Fired After Only 3 Days — So He Exposed Their ‘Gross’ Kitchen & The Health Dept Showed Up
Although the restaurant may have fired him, he made sure to document each of their food safety violations before leaving.
Serghei Starus / Shutterstock A Floridian food service worker’s TikTok post revealing a restaurant’s unsanitary kitchen conditions caused a stir online.
His efforts to expose the business were successful, once again proving the power of social media.
The worker showcased evidence of various health code violations on TikTok, leading the health department to get involved.
The worker, Alex Maupin, a ten-year veteran in the restaurant industry, said he only worked at Wolfhound Irish Pub, located in Clermont, for three days before getting canned. He spent the bulk of those few days attempting to clean the "gross" kitchen.
He was deeply concerned about the lack of food safety measures and was willing to help instill the necessary precautions, but management didn’t seem to feel any urgency to take action.
After getting fired, Maupin took to TikTok to warn the public. “This place needs to be exposed because they’re going to kill someone,” he stated.
His since-deleted video, which still lives on TikTok on various accounts, struck many for the blatant food safety violations he uncovered, including cross-contamination, improper food storage, and unclean cooking surfaces.
Thanks to his video, many were alerted to the restaurant’s concerning conditions, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (FDBPR) was soon contacted for a health inspection.
There were countless health code violations revealed in his video, proving an unfortunate reality behind many restaurants.
In his video, Maupin showed the restaurant’s dishwasher and cleaning station, which were full of unsanitary debris. He stated that dishes go through the washer without soap or sanitizer and only hot water.
Food is exposed, unlabeled, and undated in the freezers and coolers, which Maupin claimed had been in there for “God only knows” how long. Raw meat was exposed and placed directly above expired and spoiled meat that was never disposed of and stored in a bin on the floor. Various other food products that were likely expired were also not disposed of.
He showed the kitchen surfaces he scrubbed himself, which were previously filled with residue and debris, and he revealed the unsanitary sink that line cooks used to strain their potatoes.
The owner of the restaurant didn’t seem to take Maupin’s suggestions seriously, resulting in Maupin unapologetically exposing him.
In an updated video, Maupin showed screenshots of the messages he exchanged with the restaurant owner, bringing their breach of necessary food safety measures to his attention. The owner appeared to be appreciative and willing to take action in his messages despite Maupin’s termination.
“Imagine how it was for me … coming into this restaurant and trying to save it, and being turned away basically because I’m stirring the pot and causing drama. That’s the ultimate reason why I got fired,” he explained.
Maupin added that in his last conversation with the owner, he passed the buck to "other people who work in the kitchen for not doing what they’re supposed to do.” Yet, there was no urgency in training or replacing the staff. After hiring a worker with a food safety certification, the owner evidently chose his less experienced kitchen workers over Maupin.
“It’s literally your business,” Maupin said, pointing out the owner’s lack of accountability. "They don’t do what they’re supposed to do, so you need to get rid of them.”
The FDBPR showed up for health inspection, resulting in a number of food safety violations and requiring a follow-up inspection.
The FDBPR’s health inspection of Wolfhound Irish Pub resulted in 28 basic violations, 12 intermediate violations, and six high-priority violations.
The health inspection appeared to line up identically with Maupin’s claims.
In fact, the inspection revealed that the food manager in charge “[lacked] knowledge of foodborne illnesses and symptoms of illness,” employee training did not include food allergen awareness, they found no proof that employers provided required, state-approved employee training, and they discovered the restaurant was operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.
Several violations also stated that multiple kitchen surfaces were encrusted with “black/green mold-like substance,” “dirt, slime or dust,” and “heavy grease residue.”
Additionally, the health department filed violations for improperly storing raw meats on top of other food products, food products stored on the floor, and meats stored under inadequate temperatures.
In essence, to no one’s surprise, Wolfhound Irish Pub did not appear to be following many, if any, food safety guidelines.
We can all only hope that the restaurant gets its act together and prioritizes the safety of its customers.
The restaurant responded to Maupin’s TikTok, denying any potential health risks posed by their unruly standards despite all the evidence proving otherwise.
In an Instagram post, Wolfhound Irish Pub made a statement accusing Maupin of “disparaging” the restaurant on social media. They additionally assured customers not to worry, saying, “We are fully compliant with health inspections and maintain the highest standards for our customers’ enjoyment and safety.”
Ironically, they linked to their health inspections in the post, which only weakened their case. The post clearly showed numerous health violations from 2023, similar to what Maupin revealed in his video—food stored on the floor, no soap at the handwashing station, and an expired license.
The restaurant has gone so far as to remove any negative reviews made on Google since Maupin's viral TikTok and disabled the comments feature on its Instagram post.
Maybe because of Maupin’s TikTok and the health inspection that followed, the restaurant is finally deciding to consider and follow appropriate measures as needed. Still, their response leads us all to wonder, had Maupin minded his own business and not involved the public, would the restaurant be taking these precautions as seriously?
Sanitation is not a recommendation in food service; it’s a requirement.
Most of the time, people visit restaurants without even thinking twice about the potential circumstances under which their food is being prepared. When these conditions go unnoticed, customers are at a severe risk for foodborne illness or injury.
Unfortunately, too many establishments are still flying under the radar and getting away with poor food safety practices. Thanks to the surge in exposing unethical and unsafe practices through social media, people are waking up to the power we have at our fingertips to expose these businesses.
Overall, it seems that all Maupin wanted to do was help despite the long list of measures that would need to be implemented. Rather than considering his advice and suggestions, they resorted to letting him go.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.