Friends Complaint About Smitty's Petro Canada in Moose Jaw

* Below is the complaint sent in on the Smitty's web page by my Trucker Friend Dale. We have both watched the slow decline about of the place in the last few years. It has gone from a once very busy place that was able to open 24/7 to a place that is now often closing early as no one is out there at all. The quality of the food is also going down and the cleaning chemicals they use in the bathroom while the place is open makes me very sick some times. But it's the only NOT a bar place open that time of night in town. Anyway - give his complaint a read below *

This evening, as with most every Friday evening after work, a friend and I went to the Smitty's location on the Highwayhere in Moose Jaw for a coffee and, for me, a bite to eat.  As usual, we were underwhelmed.  The waitress we normally have is great and I have no complaints about her, but it is the hostess manager/cleaning person who is the main issue.

On this evening as with most, the cleaner, along with her under-age son (in violation of Labour Standards and most likely health code standards too) was cleaning and vacuuming in patron area of restaurant while still open (at 9:30 with a closing time of 10 PM) WITH customers still eating, and going as far as to vacuum under tables next to and across from said customers (in violation of health standards, food safety regulations, as well as being rude). Her son also helps with the vacuuming, washing tables and doing unknown tasks in the kitchen area as well I have seen.

In more than one instance I have witnessed her vacuuming under the table where customers were seated, with their consent, however there were still other patrons seated very nearby who were also still eating.

On numerous occasions My coffee companion and I have had to cut our stay short, more than once without me ordering my usual supper meal due to someone mixing cleaning solutions in such strong concentrations as to be noticeable and give myself and my coffee guest both headaches while standing at the till some distance away, again while still open to receiving customers.

Unrelated to this, on one occasion I was witness to a customer waling in from the parking lot, standing at the front till and ordering and RECEIVING 4 bottles of beer TO GO (in violation of Provincial Liquor and gaming regulations).

I have heard that they also have a variety of condiment containers, unmarked, filled with water in the kitchen used for steaming various foods (again, food safety and health code as well as WHMIS regulations for use of non-original containers).  At coffee this evening my regular server commented that the cleaner/hostess manager's son had taken one of these containers and sprayed her with it.  She commented that they also have some similar unmarked containers in the kitchen filled with oil.

This location used to be a 24 hour restaurant with plenty of business at all hours as it is on the highway and is a great location for long-haul truckers to stop in between Swift Current and Regina. 

Now, at most, I meet 2 or 3 on a busy night even when the parking lot out back is nearly full of trucks at the supper hour.

Word travels fast in the trucking community and it doesn't take long for word to get out and make or break a location. Unfortunately, this one is slowly being crushed.