‘It depends on the store’: Former 7-Eleven worker issues PSA about the touch-screen soda machines
Sometimes on TikTok, you get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how things work at places we go every day. And we wish, dearly, we hadn’t.
This video might be one of those. Creator Juan (@toxxjr) recently posted a TikTok explaining what he learned about cleaning soda dispensers when he worked at 7-Eleven. The video has more than 47,000 views.
@toxxjr #stitch with @Brynn #ew #sodamachine #711 ♬ original sound - thejuan&only
The video is a stitch of another TikTok by creator @brynnnniethepooh, who showed a jug of water she got from one of those soda dispensers that has a single nozzle and a touch screen to select your drink. The bottom of the water jug developed some kind of growth after sitting in the car for a few days.
Juan offered insight.
“No, because honestly, this is actually kind of valid,” he said, explaining that when he started working at 7-Eleven, his store had one of those soda machines.
“They taught me that we have to remove the nozzles every night, you know, take it off and clean them, so that way it doesn’t get nasty,” Juan said.
On his first shifts at 7-Eleven, he started to clean the nozzle every night, and his manager questioned him with confusion, he recalled. When Juan explained that he was cleaning the soda machine, the more experienced manager told him, “I’ve never done that once. I’ve never seen anybody do that once.”
“That is disgusting,” Juan said.
It’s not the same across the board, so don’t get too scared. One commenter wrote, “When I used to work at 7 Eleven, we cleaned all the nozzle always.” Juan replied, “Yeah it depends on the store honestly, & this was back in 2015.”
“Any machine, some just have one nozzle and they can’t even clean one nozzle, I seen them with mold,” another commenter wrote.
“Y’all didn’t have food safety inspectors coming through all the time checking them? I’ve never worked anywhere that didn’t clean them daily,” someone commented.
A viewer chimed in, “what? I've worked for two gas stations, both 24/7 and they both had 2 sets of nozzles so you can clean them TWICE a day.”
“At Wendy’s they don’t. … I personally had to start cleaning them myself because they were so gross and managers do not understand,” another commented. Juan replied, “the worst part is that no one follows the example so idk how that place is now lol.”
Coke Solutions, an online resource website for The Coca-Cola Company’s retail customers, has lots of info about the soda giant's different products, including the Freestyle machines (the kind with the touch screen). It posted a cleaning guide for stores who operate fountain dispensers and recommends cleaning the dispensing valves daily: “Remove nozzles and diffusers from the dispensing valves and clean them with a special nozzle brush and chlorine-based sanitizer solution; soak nozzles and diffusers in the sanitizer solution for about 3 minutes; replace after they dry.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Juan via Instagram direct message and 7-Eleven via email.
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