You decide to go out to dinner at one of the fine Bangalore restaurants. You think to yourself that a five star hotel is a better choice, because it’s more sanitary. Well, while we do assert that the fancier hotels and restaurants have better processes and practices to ensure hygiene, these are still public places, where mysophobiacs (mysophobia is the fear of germs) are not happy campers.

We verified this from the Maitre d’ of one of the newer five star hotels in town, (who obviously wanted to remain anonymous.) He told Explocity about germ traps in restaurants. Now we write this piece not to make germaphobes less contented, but to put your mind at ease and let you know there is always an easy solution as long as you know the problem. In this case, it’s wet wipes.

Table Top
Your server wiped the table down right before seating you. What you don’t know is the sponge is infested with germs from being overused or not being dipped in disinfectant. The germs spread, as germs often do, from one table to the next. Wipe down the table with a fresh wet wipe.

Cutlery

When a fresh plate is placed at the table, many people still grab a paper napkin to wipe it again. The cutlery is often ignored. If the table is dirty with germs the cutlery that is placed on the table is also germy. Make sure your cutlery is wrapped in a napkin and not placed on the table directly.

Menus

The menus pass hands all day, every, and sometimes for months or years at a time. While the tables may be cleaned regularly, when do you think the last time a menu was wiped down? Probably never. That hand sanitiser in your bag will come in handy now.

High Chair

The high chair for your kid is the place you should be most wary about. How many dirty diapers does one high chair see in its lifetime? That’s math no one is interested in doing. Wipe the chair down before you put your baby down.

Garnishes

The cocktail you ordered has a fresh lemon slice or cucumber dropped into it. Just hope they washed the fruit before it garnished your drink. While juice is fine the rind or skin may not be clean.

And as a last item, beware the complimentary aniseed (somph) bowl. Diners often pick up the somph directly from the bowl with their fingers and the men - always the men - may not have washed their hands after they have gone to see a man about a dog.