Lipstick on a glass

[StepAwayFromGoogle]

So, our family went out to a local restaurant about two weeks ago for my and my Mum's birthday. Ordered drinks, they arrived, Dad took a couple of sips of his wine and realised there was a lipstick mark on the rim.
We called the bar manager over. He seemed really unbothered. Said "I'm sure you can understand that when we're busy a few glasses slip through the net and don't get polished". We were incredulous. Explained it was nothing to do with them being polished, it was to with them being clean. If there was lipstick on the glass we doubt Covid 19 had been cleaned off. My Dad is 74. It could potentially have made him very ill. The bar manager kept saying "I understand" but didn't apologise or seem to take it seriously at all.
We had other issues throughout the meal - each course arrived with one meal missing, we ordered ice cream for DDs and had to chase it three times before finally giving up and asking for the bill.
Mum asked to speak to the restaurant manager who murmured all the right responses in a dead pan way but also seemed to not be taking the whole thing seriously.
The day after Mum emailed the restaurant to complain, focusing on the fact that in a pandemic they weren't cleaning their glasses properly. No reply in a week. Wrote to the chain that own the restaurant. A week later no reply from them either.
Surely this isn't acceptable? Is there anyone we can report them to? They are potentially spreading Covid merrily around the local population.

We're in the middle of a pandemic. If you're paranoid about the virus, dont eat out. If you're not paranoid about the virus, eat out and accept that restaurants will be as they ever were: sometimes sloppy.

Report to local environmental health. Yes it's not good. Covid? Who knows?
I probably wouldn't bother, but you would not be hugely unreasonable to report.

I'm not paranoid about the virus. Like you say, I wouldn't have been out and about at a restaurant if I was. But I think restaurants should be TRYING not to spread the virus.

Lipstick stays on through a dishwasher sometimes. They need to manually polish it off. So I doubt anything would be living in it, COVID-wise, but it would still look manky.

I used work in a pub. Glasses could go through the high temperature glasses washer 2-3 times and some lipstick stains would still not budge. Although not nice to see I wouldn't necessarily consider the glass unclean if I saw a lipstick stain.

@GreyishDays - that makes me feel better. So in theory, not actually a risk of spreading.

@purpletrees3 - thanks, too. If there's zero risk to the public then I'll stand down.

Lipstick does not always get washed off in a glass washer. The temperature would destroy covid 19. So whilst not pleasant, not a safety risk unless he's allergic to lipstick.

Agree that some lipstick is really hard to shift from glasses. We always checked and cleaned it off before the dishwasher but I’m sure a few slipped through sometimes. It doesn’t mean it hasn’t been through the dishwasher (we used to glass wash at 60 which would have killed coronavirus). So whilst I’d still send back a glass with lipstick on if I was given one I don’t think this is the coronavirus risk you’re making it out to be.
Bad service? Yes. But not sure what the coronavirus link is. Especially of not getting ice cream!

I wouldn’t eat out now anyway but if you’re prepared to, lots of modern lipsticks can survive a hot dishwasher.

I spent years working in restaurants and would have been so apologetic if a customer received a dirty glass!

Someone will be on to say yabu because they'll be busy and low paid but that's no excuse. I'm also a carer but being busy and low paid wouldn't be an excuse to neglect residents!

Don't be ridiculous. You didn't say the glass was unwashed, just that a lipstick residue was left. Lipstick is made these days to last all day, sometimes it can stay on a glass afterwards its been through a glasswasher.
It seems like you had a poor visit overall and that's one thing but they are not 'spreading the virus'. If the virus is killed by 30 seconds of hand washing it would have been killed after a few mins in an industrial glasswasher.

I didn't think the lack of ice cream was spreading coronavirus!!! Just wanted to make it clear that the feedback about the glass may have got lost in the feedback about the service...

@Thisseatisnotavailable - I assumed that the fact that lipstick was on the glass meant it HADN'T been cleaned properly. I had no idea it was as indestructible as kryptonite.

You have raised it, I would do. But to be going on about lipstick on a glass a fortnight later is a bit OTT. What do you want to happen?

@Brunilde

Lipstick does not always get washed off in a glass washer. The temperature would destroy covid 19. So whilst not pleasant, not a safety risk unless he's allergic to lipstick.

This.

I’ve spent many hours manning restaurant and bar flash washers and dishwashers. They are hotter than home ones, but some lipsticks just do not shift and that’s why every glass that comes out (and all cutlery) is supposed to be polished: to removed things like lippie traces and water marks.

Although we were always taught (in multiple establishments), to put glasses that still had lipstick after the first wash back through after a manual wipe.

YABU about the COVID/health risk, but not about his attitude or the way the staff approached the issue.

Flash washers? GLASS washers 🤦🏻‍♀️

'Indelible' type lipstick (e.g. Max Factor Lipfinity) is very hard to get off glasses - it might well have survived the dishwasher, but any germs would have been sterilised.

Poor service from the restaurant though.

Hope your dad is OK.

It’s sloppy from the restaurant but it’s why dentists ask you to remove your lipstick before treatment - some of the formulations are bomb proof.

@stepawayfromgoogle

Sorry about some of the responses on here.

I too would not be happy about a lipstick mark on a glass, regardless of covid19 or not. And to be honest, yes sometimes lipsticks don't come off on glasses, but how can a server pour a glass of water etc without even noticing it. I know I would.
Sounds like a poor service at the hotel/restaurant all around.
Hope all is well otherwise, and have a lovely weekend

Agree with pp. Some lipsticks stick on through dishwasher cycle! It's so annoying. We always individually checked when taking them out but when busy, there might be some escapees. I always wonder what the hell these lipsticks are😂

but how can a server pour a glass of water etc without even noticing it.even the drinker didn't realise until after few sips. Some are very visible, some aren't

That is true @SchrodingersImmigrant hope you're having a good weekend

I can't find a lippy to last me more than an hour too 😩

That's sloppy isn't it?

Wonder how many times a glass is supposed to be checked?

When it comes out of the dish washer?

Before it goes on the table?