Are restaurants ground zero for the flu?

Hoping to avoid the miserable flu bug going around this year? Try cooking at home.

Restaurants are no strangers to viruses and germs. And while our immune systems can normally stand up to the nasties lurking in restaurants and other public places, the severity of this year's flu outbreak -- and the awful norovirus strain going around -- is making some people think twice about exposure.
There are two reasons restaurants are unusually flu-friendly: The menus and the servers.

Let's start with the menus, which Prevention Magazine ranks No. 1 on its list of seven germy public places to avoid. "Have you ever seen anyone wash off a menu?" the magazine asks. Uh, no.

Cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces, Prevention reports. Think about how many unwashed hands and sneeze droplets touch a menu in that time. Don't let your menu touch your plate, and wash your hands after you're done with it, the magazine adds.

The next culprit may be your friendly server, who probably doesn't get any paid sick time off. Most restaurants are not required to pay for sick days, Mother Jones magazine reports. As a result, many servers continue working even when they are ill.

Restaurants are in no hurry to change that, either. Restaurant trade associations have been fighting the idea of paid sick leave for years, saying most businesses can't afford the cost.

So add "fewer flu bugs" to the long list of reasons cooking at home is a better idea than going out. It's not as fun, but it could make life a whole lot easier until this year's flu epidemic runs its course.

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