Coffee shop patrons and employees have reported a range of unsanitary behaviors observed in cafes, raising concerns about hygiene. These incidents, detailed by individuals who work in or frequent coffee shops, highlight practices that could pose health risks.
One recurring issue involves the communal milk carafe. Baristas have witnessed customers drinking directly from the carafe, an act that raises concerns about germ transmission. Shanina Knighton, an infection preventionist and nursing professor, explained that milk is a particularly hospitable medium for bacteria due to its protein and sugar content. "Once a little milk dries onto a spout, a gasket or the inside of a dispensing tube, it gives bacteria a place to settle, and what grows there is a biofilm, a sticky layer of microbes that anchors to the surface and laughs off a quick rinse," she stated.
Refilling milk jugs without proper cleaning is another practice cited as problematic. "When someone adds new milk on top of the old without emptying and washing the container first," Knighton said, "whatever was living in that residue gets a fresh meal and a running start." This can lead to "milk jugs with a crust around the spout."
Concerns also extend to the handling of shared items like lids and stir spoons. Patrons have been observed rummaging through stacks of lids, touching multiple before selecting one, with the part they handle being the same part that contacts their mouth. Communal stir spoons have also been subjected to unsanitary use, with one account describing a customer licking a spoon and returning it to the shared container.
Condiment stations, particularly honey dispensers and sugar packets, have also been flagged. Customers have been seen licking honey off the nozzle or dipping fingers into the dispenser, while others have allowed children to suck on sugar packets and return them to the communal supply. One report mentioned a customer fishing an unused sugar packet out of the trash and returning it to the bin.
Hygiene issues are not limited to patron behavior. One infection preventionist recounted witnessing a worker handling a credit card before touching a straw with a bare hand, and upon inspection, finding a box of straws coated with visible dirt.
Experts offer advice for navigating these potential hygiene hazards. Knighton suggests assessing a condiment station by its moisture and residue rather than its shine, noting that "standing liquid, crusted residue, overflowing trays and a sticky dispensing area tell you far more about how a place is run than a spotless countertop ever will." Dr. Shilpi Agarwal, a family physician, advises placing lids on a napkin rather than a bare counter and suggests asking for warm milk to be topped off by a barista, thereby avoiding direct contact with the milk jug.
While acknowledging that bacteria are present on most surfaces, Knighton emphasizes that the critical factor is whether the amount and type of bacteria pose a health risk. Some individuals have adopted personal precautions, such as carrying their own stir sticks or switching to water bottles, due to observed unsanitary practices.