Monday, February 11, 2013

To Whom It May Concern,

Arriving at the Del Mar, Camp Pendleton Subway location on my first day, February 7, 2013, I was given a new shirt and apron, however was not provided with a name tag and the manager of the store had to find me an old visor because a new one was not provided. When I clocked on no management gave me a tour of the store or directed me to any specific task. Seeing the line growing I jumped on the line and began working. I noticed immediately the disorganization of the store. When looking for more product to put on the line it was nearly impossible to find what I needed because the labels were poorly marked and in no apparent order. If there was an order that I missed it was not using the first in first out method because there were no dates posted on the labels.
About an hour and half into my shift the PIC on duty finally gave me a tour of the store. The tour around the store did help me understand where to find certain products, however safety items such (first aid kits, fire extinguisher) and even evacuation procedures were never mentioned which I know is a mandatory training process. I was also not shown where the food thermometer was located or even what times they are generally taken. The PIC also indicated that he doesn’t make people clean certain things at the end of the night so they can get out faster. My concerns increased when I saw the conditions of the store. These conditions included:
• Bread pans were terribly worn out and contained Mold growth
• Baked Bread was stored in bread cabinets on unlined, dirty pans
• Hand-washing stations were covered with built up mold, grime, and dirt
• The corners of the bane had built up food particles from ongoing improper cleaning
• Dishwashing area had at least a quarter-inch of water on the ground, just walking through would get my shoes and socks wet
• When I went to clean the pop/soda station there was black mold caked on the levers, nozzles, ice dispenser, and around the drain.
• Walls in prep area and on line severely lacked any type of cleaning or maintenance; they were covered with old food splatters and dirt.
• While on break two workers came outside and mentioned that they had just eaten pot cookies and laughed about how “high” they were
• All molding, crack seals around items such as sinks, walls, and floors lacked maintenance and resealing.

On my second day at work I went in hoping things would go better and that I would get a better since of how the store ran. Things were going alright for the first hour or so, however when the first dinner rush hit PIC Theresa decided to go on break and the other PIC Cassie was working on the Pizza Hut side with no explanation. Left on the subway side was another new employee Ivey, and myself. We had to run the entire dinner rush alone, at the same time Ivey had to work the drive through as well. So I had to jump from starting sandwiches, to veggies and then to register. Having worked for Subway before, I know that Subway’s through-put policy states that there should be at least one person on meats, one person on veggies, and a person on register if there are more than two customers in line (and there were probably 15-20 customers). If we ran out of an item on the line, and Ivey was on drive through, I was forced to run to the back to grab the item leaving the customers standing there with nobody on the line. This was unfair to myself, the other new employee, and most importantly the customers in line. Our customers are predominantly men and women serving in the Marine Corps and other armed service branches, we owe it to them to be quick and proficient and this store clearly lacks this. Concerns I noticed on day two of working at this subway location include the following:
• I was told by PIC Theresa to wash the baking silks, and the process she told me to use was the same soap, rinse, then sanitize as with regular dishes, then she told me to stack them up and let them drain. I washed them as I was told, however when taking them out of the sanitizer I pinned them up above the sink to let the water drip off before stacking them. The reason I did this instead of stacking them is because stacking wet silks does not allow proper air to circulate so the silks can dry causing them to sit in still water overnight creating an environment for mold growth. In addition to my concern for mold growth on the bread silks I also know that baking bread on wet silks is terrible, not only for the bread, but for the fibers of the silks themselves. Previously being an assistant manager for one of Ethan Golf’s stores in Silverdale, WA I understand that bread silks are a very pricy item for a store to purchase, if my memory is correct they can cost around $200 for just a dozen silks. Despite my knowledge on this issue, when PIC Theresa came to the back and saw my method of drying she yelled at me and told me I didn’t know what I was doing and that I don’t know how to listen. I felt disrespected, and was give no chance to explain why I wanted the silks to drain more before stacking them.
• Another issue I noticed while washing dishes was the condition of the pans that the bread is baked and stored on. Nearly all of them were worn out and had corroding edges, and many of them had a grime build up that looked like months of improper washing and drying, or simply the old age of the pans. I do understand that new bread pans can be a great cost for a store, however when properly cared for they can last a long time. I would strongly suggest the store at least order the white paper pan liners to protect the baked bread from the pan.
• When washing the tea container, I was horrified by the amount of mold that had built up inside the canister and inside the nozzle. Having just washed that the night prior indicated to me that the brewing machine probably has not been cleaned or maintained in months. It was sickening to see something like that being sold to customers.
• The sanitizing hose at the dishwashing station was not working properly even though the bucket was full there was no solution coming out.
• When washing dishes while pizza hut was using their dishwashing machine there was no hot water that would come out of the hose on our side, so either cold water would have to be used or we would have to wait until theirs finished.
• At one point during my shift, I asked PIC Cassie if she wanted me to take temps, when she grabbed the book she said they haven’t been done for the past three days so that she is just going to have to fake them.
• The care and maintenance of the older proofer also concerned me. I noticed that the water pan was completely dry and had severe calcium buildup. I believe that the proofer motor and the blower need to be replaced. The store could prevent further damage by leaving the door open at the end of the night so the moisture does not build up and corrode the mechanics over time.
• When we were leaving at the end of the night I noticed bags full of what looked like soup and meatballs sitting in the microwave, I went to open it and to see what PIC Theresa wanted done with them and swatted my hand from opening the door told me that another worker was taking it home. Now I don’t know what the policy for is at this store, but I do know at most Subway’s and many restaurant’s, leaving with a product without paying for it is considered stealing.

On day three when I arrived to the store I jumped right on to the line to relieve the other workers. Not long after, PIC Theresa came to help me. When she started making sandwiches I apparently was not fast enough for her because she began making comments like “come on slow poke,” “you seriously need to hurry up,” “I can’t stand working with such slow people.” When she made these comments in front of customers I felt embarrassed and became very flustered on the line. I have never had anyone be that condescending towards me, and having past experience as an assistant manager I also know that is considered verbal abuse in the workplace. From that point on, these are the additional concerns I noticed:
• The gas for the store was apparently not working, so the Pizza Hut side was completely shut down because their ovens run on gas, however my biggest concern was that there was no hot water anywhere in the store. So we were washing our hands and dishes in cold water and that is unsanitary. Later in the evening I did see a worker from another store trying to fix it however, I believe there should have been an actual maintenance worker called to address this issue. If the piping in the building is old there could be leaks and that could be potentially hazardous.
• The lack of product in the store; from the second I clocked on we began running out of product in the store. It was not just running out of prepped product, we ran out of everything! By the end of the night the only meats we had left in the store were chicken breasts, meatballs, pepperoni, salami, ham, and tuna. The veggies we ran out of were spinach and tomatoes. I was informed by another employee that this is a reoccurring thing; however, I cannot avouch for that myself since it was only my third day. It should be an embarrassment to management for being that out of touch with the store to the point of running out of that much product.
• I also saw frozen bread on silks, unseasoned, un-scored, placed right into the proofer. Having taken a Subway bread course through my previous store, I know that it is against the Subway standard for baking bread. Placing frozen dough into the proofer can have the following results: bread lacking flavor, lacking color, and also collapsing bread after being pulled from the oven.
• Around 7:00pm, PIC Theresa tells me to go on break and as I clock off she tells me that I have go to the military exchange store to get her cigarettes because I am the only one with military identification. Not wanting to argue with her I go and get what she asked for and bring it to her, then continued to take my break. After I clocked back on and continued helping customers, PIC Theresa physically grabs my hand, while I am in the middle of placing meat on a sandwich, shoves money in my hand, and says “I need you to go get another pack of cigarettes, hurry up before they close, go! go!” this all while pushing me towards the door. I turn around and say “I need my freaking ID first!” I then did as I was told and got her another pack, however I feel like I was being bullied and used because I have a military ID to make purchases. Not to mention grabbing my hand and pushing me towards the door is harassment. The PIC’s and management of this store need to understand that for active duty and their dependents purchasing items on a military base for civilians is abuse of their ID. And the way I was told by a PIC to buy her cigarettes on my 3rd day of work made me too afraid to even say no. l am in no way obligated to buy anyone anything from stores on base, and just being asked is an abuse of power by the PIC.
• Around 9:45pm I looked to see what time it was by clicking on the “who’s punched in” button on the register we use to ring up customers. I was shocked to see that there were over 25 people clocked onto that computer. Not knowing if there was a mistake I asked PIC Theresa if she knew there were that many people clocked on, very rudely she responded saying “that’s none of your business, don’t worry about it!” Knowing how labor can affect a store I said “yeah but shouldn’t we leave the manager a note so she can fix it?” And again she responded even more disrespectful “seriously, don’t worry about it; it’s none of your business.” I was about to just leave it alone, but I have never seen anything like that before and it just didn’t seem ethical at all. So I calmly asked if I could possibly have the phone number to the main office or someone above the store management because I just don’t agree with a lot of things I see going on. At that point PIC Theresa was very mad, asking me why I need it and telling me she won’t give it to me. Then she said “how about you just clock off and leave!” So I clocked off and told her I had to grab my belongings in the back. She then told me to stay put and took a worker from Pizza Hut (who I believe is a PIC or assistant manager) and they went in another part of the store to talk. The worker from Pizza hut came over to talk to me and I simply told her I just wanted a phone number to the people above this stores management and the number to the main office or development agency. She was only willing to give me the store managers’ phone number and Violet’s phone number who I believe the district manager. She also said something about how they watch every second of video to fix those hours; however that seems like a lot of work that could be avoided if that is the case. The whole time PIC Theresa was standing yelling, mocking, and being extremely disrespectful. I was then escorted to the door and when trying to go out one of the doors PIC Theresa laughed at me for trying to use the locked door and while I was walking out pushed me through the door. Now, I could be completely wrong for being worried about so many people being clocked on, even when they are not working, but the only reason I asked was because I knew how important labor was for the store I worked at in Washington. Maybe there are other policies or even a simple explanation for those being clocked on, but I do know that if a worker asks for certain phone numbers they are entitled to receive them. The way that these two workers approached the situation when I asked made it all the more suspicious to me and I never expected to get this kind of reaction.
It pains me to write this letter because I love the Subway Company, and after working for the Golf’s stores in Washington my personal goals increased and I hoped to eventually become a store manager and then possibly a field consultant. When my husband received orders to Camp Pendleton I knew it would be alright because there are 6 Subway stores on base! I was so excited to learn how other companies ran their stores, but what I encountered was a dirty, unsanitary, unmaintained, and hostile environment. As much as I wish there could be a brighter future for this store I do not feel comfortable working under the conditions I have seen. I do hope for the owners, employees, and most importantly the customer’s sake that these issues are addressed. Feel free to contact me with any further questions about the conditions noticed in the store. 

Wow! This is incredible. If all of this is true, You can fill out an ICE form and send the information you posted on this site to them. You can do the ICE costumer evaluation anonymously. However, if you really want them to follow up about this health concern faster, you can add your contact information in order for them to keep you posted on how they can solve the issue.

Go to this website:
http://www.pendleton.marines.mil/

About ICE - DoD's Interactive Customer Evaluation System

ICE 2.3.3 (Aug 2011)

The Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) system is a web-based tool that collects feedback on services provided by various organizations throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). The ICE system allows customers to submit online comment cards to provide feedback to the service providers they have encountered at military installations and related facilities around the world. It is designed to improve customer service by allowing managers to monitor the satisfaction levels of services provided through reports and customer comments. ICE provides the following benefits:
Allows DoD customers to quickly and easily provide feedback to service provider managers.
Gives leadership timely data on service quality.
Allows managers to benchmark the performance of their service providers against other DoD organizations.
Encourages communication across organizations by comparing best practices to increase performance results.
Saves money by providing managers a free tool to collect and organization feedback data used for process improvement.
The Department of Defense Enterprise Management Directorate (DoD EM) provides the ICE system and is responsible for high-level system administration and maintenance. Organizations using ICE are responsible for maintaining their own service providers/comment cards.

If you are interested in utilizing ICE, please visit our How to become an ICE site page.

For additional information, or to submit comments/suggestions about the ICE system, please use our contact form. 

yep I already sent it to them, with my contact information. MCCD has already responded to me and I just sent the email today... Apparently this is not the first complaint about this store and others on base and they are the same owners 

wow. I hope this is not true, because I eat there occasionally. If this store is like that, how are the others on base? 

Well I didn't waste my time reading that thesis statement. Just an FYI, but next time the Cliffs Notes will suffice. 

Did you send that novella to corporate?

I'm sure they would like to know how one of their franchisees are representing the Subway name.

If the conditions are a deplorable as you state, when was the last time a health inspector visited the establishment? 

That is completely unacceptable. First email would have been to the health inspector, second email would have been straight to district manager or corporate itself. I have been to the store you are talking about and I also felt the store was not managed properly by the service we were receiving...I could also obviously tell that it lacked cleanliness. Kudo's to you! 

Lol, I'm sending that to the husband. That should keep him out of Subway and away from those spicy Italian subs! 

who knew that the mushrooms were grown on the premises..! 

who knew that the mushrooms were grown on the premises..!


Gives a new meaning to "eat fresh". 

I can almost guarantee if you send this to the corporate office, they may give you a management position, or even work with corporate. There are so many people who have no idea what they are doing, and some who take advantage of every opportunity they get.

You my friend, are very knowledgeable about how the stores should be run. After the disrespect you were given they should fire the people in charge at that location. I myself have worked in many Subways and let's just say I was in the same position as you. I spoke up, was promoted and had a pay raise (should have taken it to Corporate but I was young then).

Thanks for the info, I hope you find yourself a better job! 

I can almost guarantee if you send this to the corporate office, they may give you a management position, or even work with corporate. There are so many people who have no idea what they are doing, and some who take advantage of every opportunity they get.


Thank you so much KillaK, I have sent it to the Subway Corporate office in CT, the stores development agency and owners, the ICE MCCS (Marine Corps Community Services), local health department, L&I California, along with the food inspectors for each branch of the military... I really appreciate what you said about needing to be promoted, even though it was my goal prior to the incidences that occurred, it was not my intentions when writing this letter. However, the support and feedback has been great, my main concern was protecting the customers, military, and future employees from the things I witnessed. 

ha ha this sounds like every fast food job I had as a teen 

I worked at 2 I Anils subways (one off base and one on base in San Mateo) and they are all the same!!! I ended up quitting like you and they had to pay me unemployment and still are because even a judge found the place to be a horrible place to work! I specifically remember a log power outage we had for like 9 hours and all that food should have been tossed but our manager made us serve it.. Yuck!!! I won't eat at any subways owned by him because all he cares about is money I go to the one downtown oceanside across from the movie theatre or in the harbor freight shopping center on mission because they run their stores properly and I don't feel dirty while in there either. Plus I'd rather support an owner who cares about their employees unlike Anils stores. 

Maybe that's how Jared lost all that weight, he's seen the inside of the stores?? 

Ahahaha ^^^