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Fruit Cove Burger King worker seen mopping tables in play area

Company says: 'The action depicted in the video is unacceptable'

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – It's a video that will have you saying two words: that's gross. 

A Jacksonville mother told News4Jax she witnessed a Burger King employee use a mop to clean several tables in the restaurant's play area on Thursday night.

Katie Duran caught the act at the location on State Road 13 in Fruit Cove. 

Duran said the employee was mopping the floor in the play area when she looked up and saw him sling the mop on a few tables and scrub the area where the family had eaten just minutes prior. 

“I had just eaten on that table. Did you do that yesterday? Do you do this every night? Did you do this, this morning?” Duran told News4Jax in an interview.     

WATCH: Video recorded by Katie Duran

The company condemned the employee's actions in a statement provided by a spokesperson to News4Jax:

"The action depicted in the video is unacceptable and not in line with our brand standards or operational procedures. We have strict protocols around cleanliness and food safety. The restaurant owner will be re-training his team on all operational protocols."

A spokesperson for the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which regulates restaurants, issued a statement on the incident, saying the cleaning habits didn't jibe with federal rules.

"Pursuant to the FDA Food Code, cloths in-use for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces must be clean and held between uses in a chemical sanitizer solution," she said. "A floor mop is not an acceptable cleaning implement."

Consumer Investigator Lauren Verno found that back in February, the location had seven basic violations and one intermediate violation, including vents in the kitchen containing mold, lack of hair nets while prepping food and the interior of freezer soiled with food residue. 

"There is going to be a review on every page because this is unacceptable," Duran said. 


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