There's a saying that some things are better left offline, and it's often wise to keep it that way.
However, one thing that should never be overlooked is unhygienic practices in the workplace, especially in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry.
Auntie Anne’s Employee Kisses Dough Causes Hygiene Chaos
Whenever we walk by an Auntie Anne's outlet, it’s hard not to stop and enjoy the aroma of freshly baked pretzels—maybe even grab a few for the road.
Earlier this week, Alice Chang, an employee at Auntie Anne’s Mid Valley Megamall outlet, posted a video of herself at work. The video and photos showed her handling pretzel dough without gloves and even kissing it several times.
While making pretzels is a straightforward process when you're trained, handling the dough without gloves—and kissing it—certainly doesn't meet food safety standards.
The posts quickly went viral, sparking outrage among netizens, with many demanding Auntie Anne’s Malaysia take swift action against the employee for her unsanitary conduct. On Tuesday, 8th October, the company released an official statement addressing the incident.
In a statement shared across all its social media platforms, Auntie Anne’s confirmed that Alice Chang's employment at the Mid Valley Megamall outlet has been terminated. The popular pretzel chain also clarified through direct messages that the dough seen in the video was never used to make any pastries sold that day, and Chang was not authorised to handle the kitchen in the first place.
'We are committed to upholding the highest standards of hygiene and safety for our customers and staff. We do not condone or tolerate any actions that compromise these standards,' the company stated. To address concerns, the store was temporarily closed for disinfection and will reopen once the cleaning process is complete.
Wait, Doesn’t She Look Familiar?
In an unexpected turn of events, it was soon revealed that Alice is the sister of the infamous con artist Adeline Chang, who previously made headlines for making false accusations against multiple businesses and mistreating a disabled GrabFood driver.
Unsurprisingly, once netizens discovered the family connection, many flooded the comments section, sharing their own encounters with Adeline and the troubles she’s caused for others.
Here’s some of the comments by netizens:
Today, the Auntie Anne’s store in Mid Valley has since reopened for business, following final inspections by authorities to ensure it met all safety standards before resuming operations.
Who would have guessed she was the sister of such a notorious troublemaker? Unfortunately, it seems her sister’s bad habits have rubbed off on her. While we hope this will be the last we hear of her, given the viral fame that runs in the family, it wouldn’t be surprising if the two stir up trouble again.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media & various cross-references for context.
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