Too Hot To Serve

Remember the case of Leibeck v. McDonald's back in 1994? Where an elderly guest was scalded by very hot coffee and received a large settlement??

You probably remember the hype and the ridicule that the award was met with during the sound bites that publicized the case.

The facts of the case were: the coffee was held at more than 180 F; that McDonald's had received hundreds of complaints about overly hot coffee; that McDonald's knew that hot coffee could severely scald guests; that McDonald's had done nothing to address the problem; that the plaintiff had originally requested that her medical bills be paid, and McDonald's had offered less than $1,000 in compensation; that jury found the plaintiff partially responsible for the incident; the jury award was cut substantially upon repeal.

So what does that have to do with you? In the past few years, Wheelwright Consultants has been asked to opine on multiple cases where guests have sustained second and third degree scalds from spilled coffee, tea, soup, and other food products. In most of the cases the beverages or foods were served at temperatures that could well be called "excessive" - whether or not they were too hot is a matter for a jury to decide, but consider the following:

* Liquids held at or above 165 F can cause second and third degree scald burns in less than 1 second!

* Second and third degree scalds may require hospitalizations, skin grafts, and other painful and expensive medical treatment.

* While the coffee industry recommends holding coffee at or above 180 F, research shows customer prefer their coffee at about 150-155 F.

* The Federal Food Code requires food to be held at or above 135 F.

We recommend that you rethink the temperature at which you hold and serve beverages and foods to make them safer. We also recommend that you train your staff to properly serve beverages and food as some incidents occurred when hot beverages and foods were placed too close to youngsters or were set down without warning the guest.

No hot foods or beverages or containers should be placed within the reach of toddlers as they do not understand the danger of hot item and are curious about anything new.

When serving any hot beverage or food, make sure that it is at least 12" away from the edge of the table and always advise the guest of the fact that a hot beverage, food item, or plate is being served.

Posted: to Latest Wheelwright News on Tue, Sep 10, 2019
Updated: Tue, Sep 10, 2019