I knew of a butcher shop in NYC that always had problems keeping employees. Some people just couldn't get used to having rats run over their feet as they cut meat. Also, I went into a meat cutting room once and found a dead possum on the floor. I think it cut itself on the band saw blade because there were some bloody paw prints on the saw.

It is tough in the city w/ rats and roaches. You may keep your kitchen, or store, clean; but if the place next door doesn't, you're fucked.

The worst active disregard for cleanliness I've seen is when a large diner's dish washer broke down, so they had the wash boy just rinse and wipe the dishes.

Also, it amazes me that a restaurant will gut and redecorate the dining area every 10-15 years, but the kitchen will still have 40-50 year old fixtures that are bubble gum and duct taped together.

And since I'm telling nasty kitchen stories, here's one that isn't unclean, just nasty. In Turkish restaurants they go through alot of calves liver, cutting it up into lil cubes for something. Well this one joint had a liver cutting station set up in the basement. One rubber made tub full of fresh liver and another to put the cubes in. In the middle of the table, they cut it up. Now the liver is the filter for blood and has a tough membrane covering it. When they cut a slice in the membrane and started tugging at it to get it off, blood would start POURING all over the place. Running off the table, all over the floor. Absolutely disgusting. Dude would be there for a couple hours cutting up liver, looked like a crime scene. They hosed everything down when they finished, but I'd practically puke every time I saw it.