Kansas restaurant worker caught chopping meat on ground, owner explains why

LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF) — A viral video captured a restaurant employee in Kansas chopping meat on the ground, but the owner of the establishment said customers should not be alarmed.

Greg and Jennifer Watkins recorded the video on Saturday as they were driving past Tryyaki, a local eatery in Lawrence that's been in business for over 20 years.

“My wife is like, ‘What is he doing?’ and I looked behind me and I’m like, ‘He’s chopping meat!’” Greg Watkins said.

The video, which has been viewed thousands of times on social media, shows an employee throwing what appears to be chopped-up pieces of meat from the pavement into a container.

“It was gut-wrenching. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. There was no cutting board or nothing to chop on. He was just cutting on concrete,” Jennifer Watkins said.

Restaurant owner Sunny Liu said the meat in the video was raw pork, which is not on Tryyaki’s menu. Liu emphasized that the meat was for personal use, not customers.

“They used the hammer to break it, and today’s a day off. They take it home to make soup,” Liu said. "People should not worry that we are serving them pork cut from the ground."

Despite the explanation, some people still called the act questionable.

"I don't care if he was cutting it up to throw away, not a good look sitting on the sidewalk butchering anything. Hard pass," one person commented on Facebook.

Officials with the Kansas Department of Agriculture visited the restaurant on Sunday, but they didn't find any violations during their inspection. They did, however, provide the restaurant with extensive education on unapproved foods and sources.

The restaurant also cleaned and sanitized all knives and the area surrounding the back door.

As for the worker, Liu said he will keep his job.

Sunday's inspection came after Tryyaki received three violations in October, including improper storage of raw and cooked chicken in a cooler.