Three weeks ago, two Central Avenue students found blood on their bagels at lunch. The incident has been addressed, but 16 bagels sold that day still remain unaccounted for. The worker who cut herself, whose name has not been released, has worked for Pomptonian for the past 14 years and was fired immediately once the accident became public. Blood tests were immediately requested, to which she readily complied.
Imagine being a young kid, looking at your lunch and seeing blood on it. It’s like a scene from a bad horror movie.
I don’t know the proper protocol for a violation of health and sanitary code, but firing a worker of 14 loyal years for a mishap doesn’t seem right to me. Maybe a demotion is in order, along with a public apology and of course blood tests. But in today’s economy and job market, letting someone go, especially in the food service industry, is like a death sentence.
From the point of the view of Pomptonian however, one misdemeanor is all anyone will see when looking at records of the company’s services. It would look bad for the company to employ a worker who violated health codes, especially a violation as severe as getting blood in direct contact with food. In my opinion, firing was a bit harsh of a move. I think that removing the worker to a desk job, or any other job that does not involve direct handling of food would have been sufficient.
As I said, I do not have a degree in business, I do not own nor do I run a company, so I do not know what goes on behind closed doors. This incident does however, add fuel to the fire of lunchroom myths and legends that circle around cafeteria food, and will forever be whispered about in Madison cafeteria history.