Longhorn Steakhouse is facing public criticism after a former employee shared a video of a kitchen crawling with cockroaches and general filth at one of its Georgia locations. The footage, posted to Instagram by Sean Headley, a former employee of the East Point restaurant, quickly gained traction online.
Headley, who worked at the restaurant from April to August, captured the video on his last day. The clip showed a crusty fryer, food-covered floors, and a cooked steak left on a shelf. "There is no way I should work under these conditions bro," Headley stated in the video, pointing out a cockroach on the floor. He also claimed he had reported the "inhumane" conditions to his manager and the company's corporate office.
Following the video's release, the East Point Longhorn Steakhouse location underwent a routine health inspection on September 11, receiving an initial score of 78 out of 100. Violations noted included uncovered salads susceptible to contamination and expired half-and-half cartons. "Black soiled debris" was also found inside the ice bin lids, though these issues were reportedly corrected during the inspection.
A follow-up inspection on September 14 resulted in a score of 99, with the only violation being soiled reach-in cooler shelves, which were immediately cleaned. "The conditions shown in that video were unacceptable and have been addressed," Carly Maddock, a spokesperson for Longhorn Steakhouse, told the Daily Mail. "We recently placed new leadership in the restaurant to help ensure our strict standards are upheld, and our most recent health inspection resulted in a score of 99."
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation on social media. Some commenters expressed disgust, with one user stating, "Nasty set of adults. It got bad overtime not over night." Another user commented, "You make me not want to eat anywhere." An individual claiming to be a former employee of two other Longhorn Steakhouse locations stated that their restaurants were similarly unhygienic.
Longhorn Steakhouse, owned by parent company Darden Restaurants, operates over 520 locations nationwide, with average annual sales per restaurant reaching $3.3 million. Darden also owns Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steak House.