Any restaurant worker will tell you that you don’t want to know what goes on behind the scenes.
While there are health code standards that any restaurant has to meet in order to operate, anyone who has ever worked in food service will readily tell you how often those standards are violated.
For example, health inspectors have found everything from moldy products to live animals present in restaurant kitchens. Now, a user on TikTok has gone viral after sharing his own experience of a restaurant violating health standards. Why aren’t viewers surprised?
What Did This Buffalo Wild Wings Worker Do?
In a video with over 7.4 million views, TikTok user Andrew (@drucifer4728) shows what he claims is a worker at a Buffalo Wild Wings location. The worker is in the kitchen listening to a pair of wired headphones.
As the video progresses, it becomes clear that the worker is vaping.
“@Buffalo Wild Wings I wonder if this is the reason my pregnant wife’s wings were inedible?” the TikToker asks in the video’s caption. “Vaping in a kitchen is illegal due to saliva and germs being spread.”
Is It Illegal To Vape At Work?
There is no federal law that bans vaping in private workspaces. However, a network of state and county laws could make it illegal to vape while on the job.
According to the CDC, a majority of states and territories have comprehensive indoor smoking bans. That said, only 20 have laws that explicitly prohibit indoor e-cigarette use—though many cities within other states have their own vaping bans.
Whether one can vape on the job, then, depends on where they live and the rules surrounding their specific job.
In the case of Buffalo Wild Wings, an employee handbook found online specifically forbids the use of tobacco products while on the job. Vapes and e-cigarettes are often considered tobacco products.
“For the health and safety of our Team Members, Team Members may not smoke or use other tobacco products while working and/or while on premises in a Company uniform,” the handbook reads. “This policy applies to all Company premises and any location where the Team Member is performing work for the Company.”
Can You Vape While Working In A Kitchen?
Tobacco use is significantly higher in the restaurant industry than in other fields. One study from 2015 found that, while one-fifth of working adults smoked from 2004 to 2010, that number for those in the accommodation and food services sector was nearly one in three. Restaurant workers were also found to be among the highest users of e-cigarettes.
Even though tobacco may be popular in the restaurant industry, that doesn’t mean workers are allowed to smoke near the food. In fact, the FDA’s Food Code bans employees from using tobacco products while working in a kitchen. The definition of “tobacco product” includes e-cigarettes.
Instead, the code states that one may use tobacco products “only in designated areas where the contamination of exposed food, clean equipment, utensils, and linens; unwrapped single-service and single-use articles; or other items needing protection can not result.” This is typically an outdoor smoking area, even if one is merely vaping.
@drucifer4728 @Buffalo Wild Wings I wonder if this is the reason my pregnant wife’s wings were inedible? Vaping in a kitchen is illegal due to saliva and germs being spread. #bdubs #safety
Commenters Aren’t Surprised
In the comments section, users weren’t exactly shocked to see someone vaping in a restaurant’s kitchen. In fact, many claimed that workers vaping on the job was fairly common in the restaurant industry, even if it violates the food code.
“I was a server at bdubs for 2 years, I promise EVERYONE who works there vapes/smokes lol,” wrote a user.
“There is no restaurant you will go to where they don’t vape Ngl,” added another.
Others countered that this behavior was, in fact, a problem.
“I mean you kinda right but let’s tell management instead of putting random people on the internet,” stated a commenter.
“The amount of people in the comments thinking this is okay is concerning,” shared a second.
BroBible reached out to Buffalo Wild Wings via email and Andrew via TikTok direct message and comment.