“Golden Corral” Employee Video Reveals Vicious Health Violations
“Apparently, what my company likes to do to get ready for inspections is put their food out by the dumpsters,” Brandon continued, stepping through the gated opening. “So I’m outside here in the dumpster area right now, and this is what my company likes to do with their food for an inspection.”
He angled the camera downward toward stacked silver catering trays perched just feet from the foul-smelling waste bins.
“Look at this hamburger meat,” Brandon muttered, zooming in as swarms of dark flies buzzed across the raw beef patties. “Look at all these flies. This is completely unsanitary. All this food, all these baby back ribs—to me, this is just appalling. This is what my company likes to do to get ready for an inspection. They like to store their food by the dumpster. I’m an employee here, I’ve been working here for a long time, and I just don’t feel that this is right.”
Back in the studio, Tim held up a hand, clicking his video controller to pause the playback.
“Hey, am I the only one who noticed how Brandon kept looking behind his shoulder?” Tim asked, chuckling dryly as he leaned into the microphone. “Rewind that real quick. That’s crazy. Watch him again.”
The video rewound a few seconds, playing back Brandon’s anxious backward glance toward the alleyway as he repeated, “They like to put their food by the dumpster. I’m an employee here, been working here for a long time, and I don’t feel that this is right.”
“It’s almost like Brandon thought somebody was going to walk up behind him and quiet him down like something straight out of a mob movie,” Tim joked, shaking his head. “My bad, let’s keep it going.”
The video resumed, panning across the full spread of food left sitting out in the open lot.
“I mean, look at it,” Brandon’s voice came through the speaker. “What do you think? Out here in plain daylight by the dumpster. Let me get a little closer so I can show you just how improper this whole setup is.”
The camera hovered over an array of uncovered buffet items resting on utility carts beside the trash bins.
“All-you-can-eat ribs by the dumpster,” Brandon narrated, listing off each tray. “Green bean casserole, all your patty melt meat, your pot roast, your chicken, your ham, your bacon, and your gravy. This isn’t funny at all. This stuff is utterly repulsive.”
Tim paused the video once more, leaning his elbows onto the mahogany bar top as he shook his head in disgust.
“It really is repulsive, man,” Tim said firmly. “That’s why I’ve been saying for years that I personally will not eat at Golden Corral. As a matter of fact, I don’t care for any self-serve buffets at all. I avoid buffets for this very reason. You never truly know about the food safety or how long items have been sitting out under warm lamps. There is simply no reliable way to determine how long that food has been resting there.”
He leaned closer to the microphone, his expression growing animated.
“And the other thing is, people can be remarkably unhygienic, man,” Tim continued. “You know how folks are—some people don’t bother washing their hands, and yet you’re eating right after strangers. You have people sticking their fingers directly into the macaroni and cheese, or handling food carelessly near the serving trays. No way. Especially those devoted buffet fans who feel like they absolutely must get their Sunday spread right after church service.”
Tim adjusted his posture, turning to address the corporate response and rumors surrounding the viral incident.
“Now, notice that the owner of the franchise stated they terminated the responsible manager immediately,” Tim explained. “However, there is also other information surfacing that claims Brandon and his father attempted to demand money for the video tape—specifically asking for five thousand dollars, which was flatly refused. The owner was not about to pay that.”
He paused, detailing the restaurant chain’s official defense.
“Golden Corral issued an official statement claiming that not a single item shown in that video was ever served to a single customer,” Tim noted. “They stated that all of it was destroyed within the hour, and that Brandon Huber himself actually participated in disposing of the food. I don’t know, man. I really don’t know what to believe.”
Tim thoughtfully weighed both sides of the controversy.
“Brandon claims they were about to undergo an official health inspection and that management instructed workers to move the food out back to hide it from inspectors,” Tim reasoned. “Which naturally leads you to believe that there might have already been something wrong or non-compliant with the food to begin with. Otherwise, why would anyone wheel trays of inventory out into the alley next to the dumpster?”
He tapped his finger against the counter to emphasize his point.
“The only way you could truly prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt is if Brandon had kept filming,” Tim said. “If he had kept the camera rolling and documented those exact trays being wheeled back inside the kitchen, then we would really have definitive proof.”
Tim then addressed the public backlash directed at the young whistleblower online.
“This one lady online was furious at Brandon for speaking out,” Tim recalled. “She said something like, ‘I’m sure he worked there, but he didn’t do anything while he was actively working there!’ And I’m sitting there thinking, do you really care what a person’s underlying motivation is for blowing the whistle, or do you just care about the whistle getting blown in the first place?”
He shrugged, offering a half-smirking commentary on modern culture.
“I don’t blame Brandon Huber,” Tim declared playfully. “I blame Edward Snowden! That’s right, Edward Snowden, it’s all your fault! You started this entire nationwide whistleblowing trend, and now people don’t appreciate anything.”
His tone shifted back to a serious, reflective note.
“What if Brandon is telling the truth?” Tim posed to his audience. “What if he’s being completely honest? What could he really gain from this? Sure, maybe he’s just a disgruntled employee, but maybe he isn’t. That’s the real question—what if he’s not lying? What if you had caught severe food poisoning from eating there? Wouldn’t you have preferred to know the risks beforehand? Ah, I don’t know. Some people simply cannot be pleased no matter what you do.”
Tim reached over to adjust his broadcast mix, preparing to wrap up the segment.
“So, will you continue to eat at Golden Corral, all-you-can-eat buffets, or any other buffet chain?” Tim asked, looking squarely into the lens. “Personally, I won’t be stepping foot in there. And that isn’t just because of this video—I never ate at buffets to begin with. But if you enjoy frequenting buffets for all-you-can-eat specials, maybe you’ll keep going anyway. That’s my take on the situation, but I certainly won’t be doing it.”
He gave a friendly wave to the camera as the closing graphics began to roll.
“This is Tim’s Take, and that’s how I feel about it,” he concluded. “Tell me how you feel about it. Hit me up at Tim the Bartender on Twitter, or send me an email at timtakeslive@timbartender.com or through timbartender.com.”
As the studio background music gradually faded out, Tim added one final dry remark under his breath: “Darn you, Edward Snowden, look at the trouble you started. My greatest fear regarding the ultimate outcome of these public disclosures for America is that, in the end, nothing will ever change.”
