Love is running out for Pho Love after one of its employees was caught on camera mishandling food, with the footage going viral. The eatery in Milpitas was also temporarily shut down after a health inspector found major violations. Pho Love Was Temporarily Shut Down Due to Major Violations A complaint was filed against Pho Love in Milpitas after viral footage showed one of its employees mishandling food. In the clip, the man was seen slamming frozen beef ribs onto dirty ground behind the restaurant–seemingly hiding their unsanitary thawing process from customers. A Santa Clara County Department of Environment inspector visited Pho Love on Thursday, 20 November, and found major violations. These include a live cockroach in the premises, poor sanitation, staff members’ lack of food handler certification, and improper food storage, Fox KTVU reported. As a result, the restaurant was ordered to close temporarily until it addresses those violations. A follow-up inspection is set for 28 November. Pho Love Employee’s Viral Video Mishandling Food One TikTok user shared a disturbing video of a Pho Love employee behind the restaurant, slamming frozen ribs onto dirty ground. According to the employee, when asked why he did it, he said it was to ‘thaw’ the meat. However, the process raised eyebrows because he just slammed it on the ground and ripped the meat with his bare hands next to a soak bucket and wet cardboard. So, it wasn’t surprising that many found the sight disturbing and unsanitary. When it went viral, the original poster did not share the restaurant’s name. Many asked for it so they could avoid it, and when they learned it was Pho Love, some joked about the reviews, mentioning how tender their beef was. ‘Somebody got a review about how the short ribs are fall off the bone tender, so I guess every hit to the ground contribute to the tenderism,’ one jokingly commented on TikTok. Another said it was the restaurant’s ‘secret recipe.’ Pho Love Addresses Controversy Another TikToker gave an update about the issue. The man in the video was reportedly arrested and under investigation for food mishandling. Pho Love has also released a statement acknowledging the issue and distancing itself from the man. ‘After a preliminary internal review, we have determined that the individual’s actions were conducted in a personal capacity and in collaboration with an external party, contrary to our company’s standards and without our knowledge or instruction,’ the restaurant wrote on Instagram. However, the account is no longer available and may have been removed. The eatery stressed that they take the matter seriously and will fully cooperate with the investigation. It also assured their patrons that their priority is their ‘trust and safety.’ Issue Affects Pho Love’s Yelp Reviews After the viral video circulated on social media, many left negative reviews on Yelp for Pho Love. Several called out the restaurant for its unsanitary practices. One reviewer said Pho Love ‘should just go out of business’ and warned others to ‘think twice before putting your family’s life at risk’ by dining at the eatery. Another said they were ‘very disappointed’ with the video because they ‘used to like this place.’ So, after watching the disturbing footage, the customer is unlikely to dine at Pho Love, as they said outright they would ‘avoid’ the eatery. Yelp’s team support is monitoring the reviews for Pho Love due to ‘content related to media reports.’ Overall, there are 139 reviews, and Pho Love still has 4. 4 stars.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pho-love-temporarily-close-following-viral-video-employee-slamming-frozen-beef-ribs-filthy-1757386
Pho Love Is Temporarily Close Following a Viral Video of Employee Slamming Frozen Beef Ribs on Filthy Ground
