Walk into any restaurant in town, and you will see hanging somewhere near the front entrance a yellow piece of paper with a big black number scrawled across the front.
That yellow piece of paper has no bearing on whether you order the ribs wet or dry, the eggs poached or scrambled or even whether you choose the egg foo young or the pepper steak. But it does have a bearing on whether you leave the restaurant feeling you got a good meal or whether you leave a bit queasy.
Those yellow pieces of paper are the restaurant inspection reports, which for the past two months got a lot more difficult for the public to digest. That is because the Tennessee Department of Health has not had the reports available online for the public to view.
Sure, those reports are hanging in every restaurant. But try to read one of those hanging behind the cash register and you will see it is not so easy.
At Bob’s Barksdale Restaurant in Midtown, the report is hanging right next to the Auburn Tigers pennant behind the counter, but it is partially obscured by the lost and found hook filled with hats and key chains. Admittedly, the large “85” is clearly visible in the bottom right corner.
At Central BBQ nearby, the report is hanging behind the counter too - right next to the Memphis in May poster that says “Peace, Love and Pork.” But you would have to have laser vision to make out anything other than the large black “91” written across the front.
Online made it easier
Prior to July 1, those inspection reports had been available online. The service was extremely useful and easy to use. If a restaurant was inspected one week, the report was available online within a week. Every food service establishment is required to have an inspection every six months.
Yet those are not available online right now due to a change in a state contract with a new a new computer company, said Lori LeMaster, Environmental Health Program Manager with the Tennessee Department of Health. There is no definite date for getting them posted again, but she said the goal is as soon as possible.
“I have had several calls from folks who have wondered where they are. They are required to be posted in the restaurants, but I agree that online is the easiest way to look for the inspections,” LeMaster said.
Is it a bit hard to believe someone would consider the restaurant inspection report before deciding whether to get barbecue or Chinese?
“I would say once or twice a week someone asks to see it. But we have it posted right here where anyone can see the score without even asking. I have never had anyone ask to take it off the wall to look at very closely though,” said Bob Henry, owner of Barksdale.. “But they do see the score even if they never say anything.”
Reports good for the public
It is a truism that sunlight is the greatest disinfectant, especially in the restaurant business. Even for people who never look at the yellow piece of paper or who never go online to see the report benefit from the fact that it is online. It keeps restaurateurs on their toes, and protects the public.
“People will drop by and see if it is hanging there,” said Kenny Burnett, kitchen manager at Central BBQ. “Sure, people care. No one wants to eat a nasty restaurant. If you get a bad score like a 70, you can’t hide that.”
As for whether anyone goes online before deciding on the pork plate or the beef brisket, Burnett said he has no way of knowing that.
It also brings up another interesting thing about the scoring. Contrary to what the public and the restaurant owners believe, there is no failing score according to LeMaster.. There are critical violations that can force a place to close, but there is no magic number that has to be reached.
Yet everyone has been to school so everyone knows a 90 or higher is an A, and anything less than 70 is a D or an F.
LeMaster said the average score is actually in the low 80s – a B- by most people’s standards.
“Again,.people make their own decisions on where they want to eat and what score you want your restaurant to be at,” LeMaster said. “Being in the restaurant you can tell by the way things look. Take that all into account and look into the score as well.”
Even people in the restaurant business acknowledge that having the report available online is valuable.
“If I walked into a place and score was below a 70 or a 72, I do not think I would walk out. But I would be looking around to see what’s going on,” Henry said. “You have to remember that anyone can have a bad day in this business, …A low score does not always mean it is not safe, but if you see a low score keep your eyes open. I would tell you that most people are at a bigger risk in their own kitchen than they are in a restaurant that gets inspected at least twice a year.”
Good advice.
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