Dirty Doughnuts

By Jeff Simpson

Kenosha had a little dust up at a national chain recently and it played out just like you would think that it would.

A local teen girl was working for this franchise for the summer, and while they have attacked her work ethic, the one thing they are really upset with is that she had a set of morals that she did not compromise on. 

Brittany Jacobs is just a normal teen who decided she wanted to work with "Fred the Baker" for her summer job.   Fred's company hired her and put her to work. 

Like most places in our new world economy, she was underpaid, overworked, while severely understaffed.  Unlike many employees, Brittany let her boss know that they needed help. 

As I said, typical work place.  We need help, sorry we are trying to hire more, in the meantime work harder.  Most people in the workforce can relate.

But as we know at CogDis....but wait there is more.  There is always more!

This took a step up because besides being overworked, the workers there also had some visitors.   Of the very much unwelcome kind. 

I looked past that for the first 2 months but it only got worse. They never cleaned the ice bins, I've found mold on ice cubes multiple times. When you opened the ice bin it literally smelled like an old basement. Shortly after we got roaches. 1 led to another and now they're all over in the store in the drains in the frozen drink machines. I texted my District manager MULTIPLE times telling her that your store has roaches never did anytning about it, fed up one day I texted her about the roaches again (eventually maggots) and my response was "to never talk to me like that again and your job is to do your duties" So I asked her "is it my job to kill roaches and maggots ?" she didn't have much to stay besides "just do you job" but I mean what can I expect?

 Yuck, they come in, cause a disturbance and don't even tip.   Well as we find out the city health department was called in: 

The Kenosha County Division of Health said it was contacted seven times last week about sanitation concerns at the branch. It was inspected on Friday morning during a Special Olympics charity event — the seventh annual Cop on a Rooftop — where law enforcement officers raise money by climbing on the roof and spinning inflatable doughnuts outside Fred's Bakery, throughout the state.
The sanitation report filed said the division uncovered a fruit fly infestation, but no signs of roaches or mold at the restaurant, according to Kenosha County Division of Health lead sanitarian Brad Wozniak.
“We issued an order for pest control, threw a bunch of product away and inspected again on Monday for compliance,” Wozniak said. “They’ve been reinspected, and they’ve complied.”

Surprise, surprise, the local health department found nothing on the same day that Fred's bakery was teaming up with the local police force andholding a fundraiser for Special Olympics. 

As for Brad, not being able to find any roaches, I am in Dane County and I can see one from here:

FYI:  They prefer to live and feed in the dark, so a cockroach seen during the day is a possible sign of infestation. Cockroaches tend to prefer dark, moist places to hide and breed and can be found behind refrigerators, sinks and stoves, as well as under floor drains and inside of motors and major appliances.

Now Brittany has done her job and it is time for the adults to do theirs.   We need to start believing our younger generation and as adults, especially adults in public service, we need to put the public good over personal rewards. 

People rely on you as a health inspector to keep them healthy.  A health inspector that would go easy on an establishment because of a personal relationship puts us all at risk.  An establishment that allows health risks to save a nickel also puts the community in jeopardy. 

We are all in this life together and our community is meant for all of us to enjoy together.  Put up a good product, make safety and health a priority and the business will come and be around to come back again. 

Until that happens I would hope that the good people of Kenosha honor this girl, and understand that the best way to effect change is how you spend your dollars. 

In the meantime, when you have a morning craving, let me recommend that instead of Fred you go visit Oliver, CJ or Paielli instead! 


PS:   One last question, where the hell is the local media on this?