Greggs customer storms out as staff seen cleaning coffee machine with 'unhygienic' device
EXCLUSIVE: After a video that claimed to show an employee using a hoover to clean a coffee machine went viral on TikTok, bakery chain Greggs released a statement.
A customer at the beloved bakery chain Greggs stormed out of a branch after witnessing staff using a vacuum cleaner to clean a coffee machine. Charlotte Loftus revealed she was visiting the Gateshead branch of Greggs on Durham Road when she captured footage on her mobile phone of an employee hoovering the top of a coffee machine.
Charlotte, 37, condemned the behaviour as unhygienic before promptly leaving the branch and heading elsewhere. She subsequently posted the clip on TikTok, where it rapidly went viral, amassing over 600,000 views, shares, and likes. Charlotte, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, recounted the sequence of events that led to her walking out.
She said: "I was waiting in the queue and I could see she was hoovering out the top of the coffee machine and it just looked suspiciously like a normal domestic hoover. I was concerned that it could be the same hoover they use on the floor, which would have been unhygienic."
She said: "I was waiting in the queue and I could see she was hoovering out the top of the coffee machine and it just looked suspiciously like a normal domestic hoover.
"I was concerned that it could be the same hoover they use on the floor, which would have been unhygienic. I had my phone in my hand at the time so I just took a quick video - I didn't expect it to blow-up as much as it has on TikTok."
So alarmed was Charlotte by what she witnessed that she left without purchasing anything, citing hygiene concerns — something Greggs subsequently disputed. Charlotte also revealed the incident had made her question whether she would visit Greggs again.
She explained: "When I saw it, I thought if that is how they're cleaning it out, really they should do it when there's no customers in - at least not when there's a massive queue.
"Surely it wouldn't have just been me who was thinking that it was the hoover off the floor. I was actually going in for a coffee and I turned around and walked away.
"It's made me think twice about going to that Greggs store in the future. It's unsanitary. For such a national company, I didn't expect it."
Following Charlotte's clip going viral, individuals claiming to be employed at the bakery chain stepped forward in its defence, with one insisting the hoovers were never used on the floors.
They stated: "Greggs worker here, we don't hoover the floors. We wish we could, it would save a lot of time - but we aren't allowed to. The hoover is literally for the coffee machines and the coffee machines alone - hope this helps."
Another responded: "Greggs manager here - 100% they never use the hoover for the floors. It's only for the coffee beans when they got jammed or [if] the hoppers need a hoover before they are washed. Hope that reassures you."
Nevertheless, Charlotte remained unconvinced, saying: "I don't think it's believable that they would have another hoover specifically for the coffee machine.
"I think it's anything for quickness and ease to be honest. If something's got stuck I think it's probably been the case of oh, we'll just quickly hoover that out."
An official Greggs spokesperson commented: "While this isn't reflective of our usual procedures, our shops follow clear hygiene standards and the equipment shown is not used for floor cleaning."
