Audio By Carbonatix
It’s only natural to wonder if the restaurants and bars you frequent are protecting your health. One woman recently observed a bartender using a cleaning method that gave her serious pause.
But was the bartender putting customers at risk? Or were they simply using a common washing method for glasses?
That’s the question many posed in the comments on Megan’s (@whatnowmegan) post questioning whether it’s sanitary.
In a 6-second TikTok, Megan writes in an on-screen text overlay, “Well this is frightening.”
The post shows a bartender cleaning glasses in a series of three side-by-side sinks behind the bar. They dunk the glass in each sink sequentially and then set it on the surface beside it to dry.
In the caption, Megan says with apparent sarcasm, “So clean.”
Her post inspired furious debate about whether this is an acceptable way to clean glassware or if it’s how diseases spread.
What’s The ‘3-Sink’ Method?
The bartender in the Chicago establishment is using what’s known as the “three-sink method.”
This entails cleaning items in a soapy water mix, followed by a water bath, and then a final dunk in a sterilization solution. It’s fast, (ideally) effective, and, most importantly, health inspector approved. Though that is only true if it’s done correctly.
To perform the three-sink method, a bartender fills the first clean sink with soapy water. The second gets clean hot water, and the third hot water with a sanitizer added.
Each glass is emptied of its contents and then submersed in the soapy water sink. This involves scrubbing it to remove any remaining debris or stains. Next the glass is rinsed in the second and sanitized in the third. For the final step, it air dries.
Done properly, this is a safe and sterile way to ensure glassware or dishes are clean for the next patron.
What’s Wrong With It?
In this case, as Megan notes in a follow-up, the speed with which the bartender goes through the three stages may be insufficient. In just six seconds, they’re done with the glass. They don’t scrub it in the first step and instead simply dunk it in each sink.
People in the comments were divided. Many felt that the way the bartender at the unidentified establishment did it is common practice and thus fine.
“3 sink method….been happening for years,” wrote one.
Another added, “The chemicals in those are actively destroying that man’s hands. Haha you’ll be fine.”
But a significant number feel that they didn’t perform the three-sink method correctly.
“This is NOT how you use a 3 compartment sink. You still need to scrub in the soapy water, rinse, then put in sanitizer solution for at least 30 seconds. Nothing is getting sanitized in this video,” verified influencer The Anti-Dairy Queen wrote.
A person who identified themselves as a bartender chimed in, “That wasn’t enough time on the brush. Not even close. That wouldn’t get lipstick off.”
In a follow-up post, Megan addressed the controversy her TikTok created. “When you Google it, it says it’s supposed to soak,” she says. “But I don’t really care that much and I think you guys are crazy for fighting in the comments about this. It was supposed to be a tee hee hee silly little video. But to each their own.”
@whatnowmegan So clean