When you go into a fast-food chain anticipating food, you don’t expect to lose your appetite. However, for TikToker Jamie (@jamiegirl85), that is exactly what happened when she visited her local Panda Express. She then picked up her phone and recorded what she thought was a massive hygiene issue instead of placing her order. The TikTok post went on to grab over 37K views, but the response probably wasn’t what Jamie expected.
Jamie captioned her post, describing her belief, “Why did I walk in the panda express 22 weeks pregnant ready to eat and this is what I see he’s washing the walls and the cooking area with a mop from one of the pans they cook out of WTF.” In the video, we see a worker scrubbing the wall with a long-handle brush. They then dip it into a steaming wok, and keep scrubbing. From her view, you can see why it looks off, especially if you are hungry and worried about food safety.
The comments section was flooded with TikTokers, and some former Panda Express employees who told her she had nothing to worry about. One wrote, “I worked at panda for 2 years. This is usually a closing procedure. And based on the look of the steam table they are closing. thats not a “mop” its only used in hot water. and after closing, everything is washed after WITH cleaning solutions then all dishes cleaned and sanitized.”
A question of hygiene
One TikToker identified the tool for Jamie, writing, “it’s not a mop, it’s a scrubby they use to clean the walls during closing.” Another user noted, “Nah I work at Panda Express we are very strict when it comes to cleaning policy trust your good.” Some TikTokers were more critical. As one wrote, “He’s closing, and whatever is left on the line is what’s they gonna serve til they close, worked at panda before and looks like he’s tryna go home don’t see anything wrong here”.
Jamie’s experience seems to be a case of a misunderstood cleaning process. However, recently another TikToker caught a genuinely concerning video that went viral. It hit national news and sparked an investigation about a Panda Express in West Milwaukee. Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the video showed an employee standing on the counter, next to a fryer in a food preparation area, and appeared to spray a cleaning solution on an exhaust hood.
The outlet noted that a Panda Express spokesperson addressed the situation in an email. They confirmed that the incident occurred in early July and that the restaurant “addressed it immediately upon becoming aware of it.”
The statement continued, “The behavior shown is inconsistent with our food safety and workplace standards. We took corrective action, conducted retraining, and reinforced proper safety procedures with the restaurant team and throughout the region. The safety of our guests and associates remains our top priority.” Of course, sometimes things go wrong, as a TikToker found when they opened their fortune cookie.
Kevin Smith, an environmentalist supervisor for the Southwest Suburban Health Department, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the department became aware of the incident on August 26. He mentioned, “We quickly responded to this situation when we learned of this and Panda Express was very cooperative.”
We were able to investigate what took place, and help ensure that it does not happen again,” He reportedly added. “Additionally, we have not received any reports of anyone’s health being negatively affected by the incident, thankfully.”
Interestingly, Panda Express has previously been recognized for its high standards. According to QSR Web, the chain actually ranked first in a national study of health and safety compliance measures in the food and beverage industry conducted by Ipsos. The study showed that Panda Express outperformed competitors like McDonald’s and Taco Bell on things like health-related signage and employee protective gear compliance.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chain reportedly even created a free operations guide to help other restaurants navigate safety protocols. They boasted a 96% compliance rate for employees wearing masks, well above the 89% average of the industry at the time. On the flip side, in airplanes, crew members are unsure about the cleanliness of accessories like blankets.
At the end of the day, it is clear that sometimes a video just needs context to understand if you should be concerned or not. If you ever see something that truly concerns you, the health department officials remind us that it is best to contact them and the corporate office directly to ensure public health and safety.
Published: Aug 31, 2026 11:51 am