Bonchon takes action after mop-washing incident

Chain outlines staff investigation and 30 dasy of inspections.

Bonchon Philippines is taking several corrective measures after a video showing a staff member washing a mop in a kitchen sink at its SM Clark branch drew concern over food safety and sanitation.

The Korean fast-food chain outlined the actions in an email to the customer who originally posted the video online.

Among the measures outlined, Bonchon has deployed an Area Manager to the branch for a team reorientation and additional coaching on food safety, cleaning and sanitation procedures.

The employee seen in the video, along with the store-in-charge, will also face an administrative investigation, according to the communication between the original poster and Bonchon, which the former shared on social media.

The branch will also be temporarily closed for two hours for further investigation and reinforcement of the company’s standards, while its sanitary permits and other relevant documents have been reviewed to verify compliance with local government requirements.

Bonchon’s plan also includes additional monitoring over the next month, with a follow-up audit by its Quality Assurance team within seven days, followed by announced and unannounced inspections over the next 30 days.

“These audits will verify that corrective measures are properly implemented and that our food safety and sanitation standards are consistently maintained,” the company said.

The response came after a Filipino netizen posted a video on Threads on Sept. 25 showing a staff member wearing a hair net and face mask rinsing a mop in a sink beside stacked metal bowls typically used for serving food.

The original poster said she personally witnessed the crew member washing the mop in the same kitchen sink used for dishes and other food-service items.

Bonchon previously acknowledged that the practice seen in the video was not part of its required procedures and said the branch had a wrong procedure in place.

In her latest post, the customer said she appreciated Bonchon’s acknowledgment of the concern and its plans to address the sanitation issue.

She also said she hoped the measures would be properly implemented, including proper inspection, sanitation procedures, staff training and stricter enforcement of food safety protocols.

“Pare-parehas tayong kumakain at pare-parehas tayong nagbabayad nang tama,” she wrote. “We all deserve to be served food in a clean and safe environment.”

The response has drawn mixed reactions from other users, with some welcoming the company’s handling of the incident while others questioned whether the measures would actually be carried out.

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