In the ANI Podcast discussion, Sanjeev Kapoor addressed common buffet myths, hygiene doubts, and food handling practices in restaurants, aiming to clarify public misconceptions about hospitality industry operations clearly explained. He said that buffet food waste handling is similar to home kitchens and rejected the belief that restaurants serve stale leftovers directly without control systems, explaining that professional kitchens follow strict hygiene and safety procedures.
Buffet food truth revealed by Sanjeev Kapoor
During the podcast, Sanjeev Kapoor was asked if buffets serve leftovers from the previous day. To answer the question, the chef stressed that the rules followed in household kitchens are also practised in hotel kitchens, explaining that both home and restaurant kitchens follow similar basic principles of food storage, preparation, and safety.
“No, I want to clear this misunderstanding. People often ask, ‘What do you do with the food that is left over?’ People in a hotel do exactly what you do with the leftovers at home.”
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He stressed that restaurants handle and repurpose food in a similar way to how it is managed at home. He added, “So, what exactly is the fault of the poor hotel owners? For starters, they don't actually make that much extra food. Right! You do that at home…[it's just that] they have a better science, they are trained, they know all the technicalities, and they know what they are doing. Meanwhile, what you simply discard at home, they discard there as well, it is exactly the same.”
Ladle practices and hygiene explained
During the interview, the chef was also asked if restaurants keep ladles used for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food separate, to which he replied ‘not always,’ stressing that most of the time it depends on the place and whether you trust the restaurant.
The internet reacts to the chef's explanation
Sanjeev Kapoor’s statement sparked mixed reactions online. While some Instagram users argued that paying customers expect fresh food and should not be served leftovers, others supported the chef, saying his explanation reflected real kitchen practices and food safety standards. One user commented, “That's a very misleading justification of what restaurants do. Do they transparently tell customers that they are serving them yesterday’s food? Do they reduce prices? Who ensures quality is not degraded in this reuse process?”
Someone else wrote, “Having conducted over 500 food hygiene inspections, I have found that consistent temperature control and overall kitchen hygiene play a far more critical role in ensuring food safety. It is safe and acceptable for food to be produced and served at a later date when temperature control is robust and all critical temperatures are met.”
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What other myths exist here
Sanjeev Kapoor was also asked whether 5-star kitchens have hygiene issues, but they hide them well, to which he answered confidently, “They can't afford to be because the standards and inspections are high.” When asked about corruption and claims that some hotels may pay food inspectors to secure better ratings, Sanjeev Kapoor strongly criticised such practices, calling them corrupt and also emphasised that Indians should adopt better cleanliness habits and take hygiene more seriously in everyday life.
The discussion highlighted that many buffet concerns arise from misunderstandings about professional kitchen systems and differences in scale. Kapoor explained that hotels follow structured processes similar to home kitchens but with stricter controls and regulations.
Public reactions were mixed, with different viewpoints expressed online. The conversation also focused on hygiene standards, inspections, and transparency in food service operations across the hospitality industry.
