Formal Concerns About Casual Dining

 

The “casual” in “casual dining” should not refer to the restaurant’s attitude towards the cleanliness of the experience. In this episode of MarketScale’s Healthcare podcast, John Shanahan, president and CEO of Ionogen, sat down with host Sean Heath to discuss the recent chemical events in a popular fast-casual restaurant, how those chemicals got there in the first place, and how to protect ourselves when dining out.

The process of protecting ourselves when dining begins the moment we step through the door, Shanahan said.

“If you walk into a restaurant and it doesn’t smell clean? It isn’t clean, and you shouldn’t eat there,” he said.

The generally accepted authority on whether or not a dining environment is clean is the local health department, explained Shanahan.

“The standards are actually the same, uniformly, across all of them, because, in every state, the health department is the guardian that watches over these restaurants to make sure that the standards for sanitation are uniformly observed,” Shanahan said.

He also clarified that a shiny table is not necessarily a safely clean table.

“The leading national blue glass cleaner has 11 chemicals in it that you can’t ingest,” he said.

This is not a problem that is limited to “quick-serve” restaurants. “White linen” dining experiences can come with their own dangers, as well, explained Shanahan.

“The linen is typically replaced at one of those, after every single guest,” he said. “Especially during flu season, someone will go out and have dinner at a 4-star restaurant. They’ll have the early stages of the flu and grab the salt and pepper shaker. If you’re the next person at the table, you’ve just been introduced to that virus, because it’s been left on the salt and pepper shaker.”

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Healthcare Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More
Q2 2025
RM Q2 2025 Wrap Up
July 9, 2025

Rogue Marketing continues to lead with intention in a space often driven by noise. Q2 2025 reflected a strategic focus on substance, where each initiative supported long-term brand growth. The team transformed internal recognition efforts into enduring brand assets and refined event strategies through immersive, results-driven experiences. Website launches during the quarter balanced visual…

Read More
amateur radios
Hamvention Spotlight: Emergency Preparedness Led PrepHam Paul to Amateur Radios and a Rising Voice in the Field
July 9, 2025

PrepHam Paul (K5VLP) celebrated his first visit to Dayton Hamvention by marking a major channel milestone. He hosted a giveaway of the  IC-2370B mobile radio from Icom to thank viewers for helping him reach 10,000 subscribers. His passion for emergency preparedness, rooted in his experience as an Eagle Scout and later studies in emergency management,…

Read More