Thumbs Off: GA Restaurateur Aims To Reduce Germs In Restaurants

MARIETTA, GA — Christian Valvo, a longtime Atlanta area restaurateur, was at a barbecue restaurant in Georgia several years ago when he had the "aha!" moment for his business, called Thumbs Off.

As the server delivered his food, the plate and food had shifted and his thumb was directly in the middle of Valvo's coleslaw. He watched it slide out as he placed the plate down on the table in front of him.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't like coleslaw," Valvo said to the server, he told Patch. The server apologized, but Valvo — who's worked in restaurants since he was 16 years old and has opened multiple restaurants, including Paisano's in Acworth — knew he had to do something.

Servers are taught different ways to pick up a plate, but it's virtually impossible to pick it up without putting some of your hand or thumb on the plate. Because of Valvo's experience in the industry, he said he understands the nuances that come with the territory.

"The servers are on their phones, just like we all are. There have been studies that a phone is 10 times dirtier than a restaurant toilet, so you can imagine the germs that are on a phone," Valvo said. "Servers are also picking up food, eating, making salads ... the spread of foodborne germs, it's everywhere in a restaurant. Some people don't notice if a server's thumb is in their food, but it's a problem. It's a problem that's gone on for way too long."

Right after his barbecue lunch, he said he went to Hobby Lobby, bought some modeling clay and started modeling different designs that he thought might work to keep a server's thumb out of the food — and that's how he ended up with the Thumby, a reusable, antimicrobial, dishwasher-safe silicone cover that goes over the pointer finger and thumb to do what the name says: keep their thumbs off.

And with the COVID-19 pandemic changing how thousands of Georgians view cleanliness and dining, finding ways to protect the health and well-being of restaurant customers is even more important than ever for some business owners.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, contaminated equipment and poor personal hygiene are two of the top five contributing factors to food-borne illnesses. And per a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report from 2021, only 1 in 4 workers washed their hands after preparing raw animal products or handling dirty equipment, while 1 in 10 workers washed their hands after touching their face or body.

"I've made so many of my friends aware of something they didn't already know. When I talk to them about Thumbs Off and why I created it, they're always like, 'Oh my god, I wish you would have never told me that,'" Valvo said with a laugh.

Many restaurants now have their servers wearing gloves, but Valvo said gloves — unless thrown away and replaced after each action, which would mean hundreds of glove changes per day — just act as another surface for germs to attach to, and are expensive to keep in stock for restaurant owners.

"With the Thumbys, they are dishwasher safe and used one time, then thrown in a bucket with the other dirty Thumbys and run through the dishwasher, then they're ready for another use. They're also cheaper to buy in bulk than gloves," Valvo said.

Thanks to feedback from the restaurants who've started using Thumbys, there's an added perk of them: they withstand up to 700 degrees of heat, so they've also saved servers from burning their hands on hot plates.

They also have a magnet on the back, so they will stick to the expo line for easy grab-and-go use — and Thumbys can be customized with the restaurant logo, website, phone number or server names.

"All the feedback has been positive. I tell people to give us constructive criticism, and we really haven't gotten it. We're just excited to be able to offer this to restaurants as an alternative to gloves," Valvo said.

You might see servers in Georgia using Thumbys at:

• Pisano's
• Primo's
• Modena
• Angelo's
• Prezzano's
• Bit Boys
• Neena's
• Williamson Bros.
• Piezano's
• Luciano's

Thumbys come in grey, white and blue, but custom colors — as well as logo printing and large orders — can be purchased for an additional cost. A 25-pack costs $89.95 before shipping.

For more information or to order Thumbys, visit thumbsoff.com.