Former Employee Accuses Worcester Vietnamese Restaurant of Re-Using Food

Monday, May 18, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

A former employee of a Vietnamese restaurant in Worcester is accusing the restaurant owners of re-using food, stealing money from their employees, and numerous other health code violations.

SEE BELOW: Former Employee's Letter Accusing Pho Dakao of Re-Using Food

Chau Vu worked for seven years as a server at Pho Dakao on Park Avenue in Worcester. On Sunday morning, Vu posted a long letter on Facebook that expressed her concerns of several unhealthy and grotesque practices that Pho Dakao owners Hiep and My Pham implemented at their restaurant. The owners recently opened a second restaurant in Framingham.

Vu claims that employees are forced to save uneaten food leftover by customers to be re-served again that day. According to Vu, "We are forced to save old rice and reuse rice that customers didn't eat. Sometimes rices is very old and smell from yesterday, they still use it. When I spoke up to the boss about this I was told that the sauces and spices will cover up the foul smell and fool the customers. I know people will get sick from the way things are done, I'm reaching out with hopes that things can be changed."

Vu also claimed that kitchen staff were hired illegally and forced to work 60 hours a week, they never wore gloves when handling food, staff is forced to pay the owners 3% of their tips, and on one occassion, food was taken out of the trash and served to customers.

Dang Pham, who spoke on behalf of the restaurant is out of the country until next week, told GoLocalWorcester, "The accusations against us is from a disgruntled employee that we just terminated recently and they have no basis."

Here is Vu's Letter in Its Entirety:

My name is Chau Vu. I am writing this letter to inform you about Pho Dakao. Pho Dakao is located at 593 B Park Ave Worcester Ma. I am a previous employer of Hiep and My Pham and worked for them as a server at Pho Dakao for 7 years.

I am very concerned for several reasons. It's is all about the truth that we because of the job and money never speak out loud to anyone. The paying customers at Dakao are unaware of the way the things are done. I am alarmed by the fact that it has gone on so long.

Dakao is most popular for the soup (Pho) and the specialty drinks. The soup is served with a plate on the side that customers can use put in their soup. The plate has bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeños. After the customers have finished and leave the table gets cleared. The employees are told and made to keep whatever food is left over from what the customer used. Most of the time the plate is picked through and trash from the customers is tossed on the plate. It is absolutely unsanitary to reuse food and serve it over and over again to customers that think it's fresh. Every time I have friends or family members come to eat, I try my best to take the new beansprouts plates, new rice for them. I am scared that they have to eat someone spit. Sometimes you - as a customers dine in at the restaurant, you see my lady boss help us clear tables. That's not she is helping us. All she does is taking the food left on the tables to the kitchen and reuse them.. She afraid we will through away. Sometimes I saw the basil is dirty, or we are very busy, and have no time to save them, we put all in the trash. my ladyboss will come pick them out, rewash very fast and put back in the basil container. As a result for this bad action, I got complaint by customers before that the fresh bean-sprouts and basil had a toothpick mixed inside, and had dirty sauce arround.

We are forced to save old rice and reuse rice that customers didn't eat. Sometimes rices is very old and smell from yesterday, they still use it. When I spoke up to the boss about this I was told that the sauces and spices will cover up the foul smell and fool the customers. I know people will get sick from the way things are done, I'm reaching out with hopes that things can be changed.

We serve sink water in a plastic tote that is slimy and disgusting. It is stored underneath the silverware in the waitress area. Several customers seen this when other employees were taking water pitchers to fill the tote from the bar sink. It is very unsafe to serve food and drinks that have gone bad or are full of bacteria, but no one cares.

The specialty shakes are made in the kitchen per order. The blenders are beyond slimy and filthy as are all the utensils that are used to mix the shakes. Nothing is washed and kept sanitary, It's kept in a metal tin with old stagnate water full of bacteria. The milk and the fruit get left out throughout the day. Besides, Dakao is very famous for boba tea also, but the paying customers dont know the fact that the boba tea cups can be reused too. Customers order boba drink and finish, leave the cups at the tables. When we clear them to the kitchen, they will be wash with cold water, hang to dry and servered to the next customers as new one. Of course those plastic cups can't be washed through hot water or wash machine.
There is work abuse happening in this restaurant. The kitchen staff are illegal and work 60 plus hours a week. They are paid well under minimum wage. Their lunch is always at 3-4 pm and they are not allowed to have even a soda.. Each can of soda they have to pay $0.50 cents. We, as waitstaffs have to do extra work for them. Whatever they want you to do. First, Togo and answer phone call is my boss's job. We helped them. Time by time, it becomes our job which if you dont do that, they will cut off your shift because they say you are lazy. I talked to my boss about this once, and i got cut off shift.. he made me sorry him as well as take thats my fault to give me back my normal shift.

Kitchen never wear gloves and food is not kept or cleaned with the regard for someone with allergies. Chefs and people work in the kitchen talked to me a lot. They told me all about how bad they got treated, and how cheap they got paid. I was working there also, so I can understand and trust what they told me. They pay people in the kitchen too cheap and treat them very bad before. And 3 chefs left to work for a better place. Dakao thinks they are illegal then they have to work for Dakao even how bad they got treated and paid. Then Pho Dakao blame on me, saying I am the one who took them away and introduce them to the other restaurants. I try to explain to my boss that its not me, and the reason for them to leave Dakao as I have been told. My boss just did not take their problem that they pay too cheap and treat employees badly. Chefs go to work by bicycles. On the snow days, I always call my husband to drive them home with his truck which my boss has a truck too but never drive them home even how bad the weather is.
The boss asks the employees to do inappropriate jobs that he should hire professionals to do. They are just very cheap. I was asked to climb up and wash the windows while I was pregnant at the 2nd month. When I refused to do so I lost serval shifts and the boss was very angry with me. I felt as though it was a risk for me to climb up and wash the windows, I am server that's not my job. I am finally speaking up after being fired, because they said I talk back too much. I can't stand back and watch them fool people. I was asked to do several dishonest things well working there. I watched the boss delete all orders paid in cash by the customers so that he can keep the tax money he charges. Once the night is over the boss goes into the computer and deletes the orders as if they never existed keeping the money.

We as servers are made to pay the boss 3% of all our sales for the night. We pay tax for that 3% and my boss takes it without reporting it to the IRS. That has been a big problem for the servers. We are being asked to pay him, the owner and the boss money for absolutely nothing. When we question it he tells us 1% is for burst-boy which is acceptable. 1% is for bartender which we have no bartender in the morning, and we still have to pay. 1% is for his wife. His wife makes drinks and shakes for us and we have to pay her for her work. Although that is not the case, we usually make our own shakes because she is not there much. She is old and doesn't speak English well, so we ask her to hire a person for this to look more professional while the restaurant is getting busier, but she said no money.

The ice maker is slimy and has mildew. The ice creams are left uncovered along with all the other food we serve. We marry old sauces with new sauces everday. The liquor at the bar has fruit flies in it due to not being covered. Yet we have no choice to serve it we are told to pick the flies and bugs out. I am glad I no longer work at Pho Dakao and have to be put through this.

I am convinced that if something is not done, things will get more out of control. I have never respected the way the boss wants to take money anyway he can without giving quality back to the customers and treating his employees fairly.
My boss is a very traditional Vietnamse boss. Everything he says is right. He is always right, and you can't talk back or either explain. All you can do is do whatever he says, take whatever he says, even he calls me a bitch, he swears at you, still, you can't talk back or you will get fired or cut off shift like me.

I just want to inform you as a paying customer to know what you pay for. You don't know when you get served with other eople used food which Pho Dakao always say its fresh.