{"id":780137,"date":"2026-05-07T17:48:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780137\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:48:23","slug":"americans-brace-for-smart-watch-ban-as-texas-roadhouse-rolls-out-strict-restaurant-safety-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780137\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans brace for ‘smart watch ban’ as Texas Roadhouse rolls out strict restaurant safety policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEXAS Roadhouse is enforcing a strict smart watch policy as tough rules sweep restaurants across America.<\/p>\n

The steakhouse chain<\/a> is among businesses warning kitchen staff not to wear smart watches or fitness trackers while preparing food.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for The US Sun newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Texas Roadhouse is enforcing a strict smart watch policy for kitchen staff Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n

Smart watches and fitness trackers are prohibited as they pose physical and biological hazards, potentially contaminating food Credit: Getty<\/p>\n

The FDA\u2019s updated 2022 Food Code generally advises against food handlers wearing jewelry<\/a> on their hands or arms while working with exposed food, including smart watches and fitness trackers.<\/p>\n

The items are discouraged because they can act as physical hazards if they fall into food.<\/a><\/p>\n

They are also deemed biological hazards because they can harbor food particles and germs, which can easily spread around.<\/p>\n

The rules apply to both analog and digital watches<\/a> because they can interfere with proper handwashing and may even break or fall into meals.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more on Texas Roadhouse \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

HOUSE RULES<\/p>\n

Texas Roadhouse enforces strict hair style rule in seven US states<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

SAUCE SQUEEZE<\/p>\n

Texas Roadhouse forced to roll out new utensils and sauces ban from August<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Food safety guidance says smart watches have \u201ccrevices, bands, and moving parts that trap food particles and bacteria<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In most US kitchens, workers are only allowed to wear a plain weding band while handling food.<\/p>\n

It comes as Texas Roadhouse<\/a> tightens safety standards under the FDA\u2019s updated 2022 Food Code.<\/p>\n

The restaurant chain is among businesses affected by the stricter rules<\/a>, which are now fully in force in Colorado<\/a>, Connecticut<\/a>, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania<\/a> and Utah<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The updated standards require kitchen staff to wear hair restraints<\/a> including hair nets, chef hats, bouffant caps or headwraps to stop contamination.<\/p>\n

Workers with facial hair<\/a> must also wear beard nets or snoods if their beards could contaminate food, equipment or utensils.<\/p>\n

The FDA says hair restraints \u201cmust be designed and worn to effectively keep hair from contacting exposed food and food-contact surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crackdown is part of a wider push toward what regulators call \u201cActive Managerial Control,\u201d replacing the old system where managers could decide their own hygiene standards.<\/p>\n

Food safety officials say the tougher guidance is aimed at reducing foodborne illness and creating \u201cconsistent, science-based safety standards\u201d nationwide.<\/p>\n

Several more states, including Indiana, New York<\/a> and Vermont, are now moving toward adopting the updated code.<\/p>\n

The rules apply to both analog and digital watches because they can interfere with proper handwashing and may even break or fall into meals Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEXAS Roadhouse is enforcing a strict smart watch policy as tough rules sweep restaurants across America. The steakhouse…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":780138,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[24352,2105,705,158,47651,1061,67,132,68,319329],"class_list":{"0":"post-780137","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-fast-food","9":"tag-food-and-drink","10":"tag-gadgets","11":"tag-technology","12":"tag-texas-roadhouse","13":"tag-trends","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-us-trends"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116534557137672035","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}