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What is scary is their record of MAJOR deficiencies. Most cities will close a place down quickly for repeat violation as they believe that you are not taking things seriously.
One thing that is unique to the State of Hawai'i is that there really is no "city" level government anywhere. Each island is a county, and it is governed as a county and by the county, and nothing moves too quickly. In this case the bakery was issued fines, but there is no enforcement to make sure the fines get collected in a timely manner, so they just stack up, ignored.
Making these inspection findings and fines more public helps create pressure from the public to take more effective actions.
Just go to your state's local Heath services website.....you'll get MUCH more recent findings!
Agreed. We have a regional newspaper that publishes the results of food inspections in various counties and dozens of places for the number of violations only; it doesn't tell what the violation was. So, if there's a burned out light bulb or a river rat in the kitchen, they both count as a violation. It is a waste of space to publish how many violations without a little more information.
ETA: No links to my state. I guess we're all good. Or that ignorance is bliss.
I think the thing to remember when checking the inspection is to see where and why a low rating? Sometimes it is something that is or can be corrected in a matter of hours or it is a one time occurrance. We have the inspections printed in our paper every couple of weeks. I read it and examine what the violations are. Normally the next time the inspection is listed all the problems have been solved..If not, or if the same establishment shows up a month or so later, they are off my list forever.
The biggest surprise that I've ever gotten in a restaurant was, half way through a meal, spotting a roach the the size of a Chihuahua on the wall near the kitchen. Needless to say, I didn't finish the meal or ever return.
That happened to us in Ohau, we were eating breakfast at a top hotel, btw: a huge roach was on the wall. When our food came, my husband told the waitress and she said oh, I see it. I asked her, if she didn't think she should kill it? Her comemnt, why, it probably just fall in your food? I guess she had a point but we never ate there again..
Having had a business, most of that is common sense. We did get into trouble for not having a meat thermometer to check things, and raw meat out, well, of course it was "out", we cooked it on an outside grill at a ski resort! And fast as they went on the grill, folks bought them.
Imagine, a brisk sunny day skiing, you can smell the grilled burgers halfway up the slopes. Ski up to the grill, don't even have to take skiis off...
if you go into any food establishment, and you see;
hanging fly strips with flies stuck to them.... id leave immediately.. those gross me out
employees should be wearing hair restraints- for what restaurants are charging today, if I find a hair ...I want to meal free
and...if employees arent wearing gloves,,,double check that there hands are clean...look at the fingernails,,,Ive seen firsthand dirty hands cooking food,,,and it was dirt...not food under the nails,,,also,,,make sure no dog, cat, or bunny is running or hopping around the place, ive seen all three, while im a pet lover...ive seen a dog licking his...privates while I was at a diner years ago..not to mention I swore I saw a flea jump off him...
also,,,keep your ears open for any employee sneezing or stuffed up- Ive seen this constantly around some restaurants- tho I may feel for the cute servers, that may miss a days pay- they shouldnt be around food at all,,,and had quite a debate with the manager of a fine dining restaurant, about this subject, the owner was a tyrant,,,and told the server if she called in sick,,,dont bother coming back to work,,,I ripped him...the owner a new one in front of all customers...
also common sense,,,is one of your senses,,,your nose,,if the place stinks,,,leave!
and if you do have to eat in unfamiliar or questionable locations,,,make sure the food is cooked well done- better chance in killing the bacteria..
having said all this,,,,,id like to believe that food establishments,,,are diligent about sanitation,,,,bad news races thru a town and can close a place,, it can financially kill the owners and employees,,so its in there best interest to have proper sanitation procedures,, (hopefully)
if you go into any food establishment, and you see;
hanging fly strips with flies stuck to them.... id leave immediately.. those gross me out
employees should be wearing hair restraints- for what restaurants are charging today, if I find a hair ...I want to meal free
and...if employees arent wearing gloves,,,double check that there hands are clean...look at the fingernails,,,Ive seen firsthand dirty hands cooking food,,,and it was dirt...not food under the nails,,,also,,,make sure no dog, cat, or bunny is running or hopping around the place, ive seen all three, while im a pet lover...ive seen a dog licking his...privates while I was at a diner years ago..not to mention I swore I saw a flea jump off him...
also,,,keep your ears open for any employee sneezing or stuffed up- Ive seen this constantly around some restaurants- tho I may feel for the cute servers, that may miss a days pay- they shouldnt be around food at all,,,and had quite a debate with the manager of a fine dining restaurant, about this subject, the owner was a tyrant,,,and told the server if she called in sick,,,dont bother coming back to work,,,I ripped him...the owner a new one in front of all customers...
also common sense,,,is one of your senses,,,your nose,,if the place stinks,,,leave!
and if you do have to eat in unfamiliar or questionable locations,,,make sure the food is cooked well done- better chance in killing the bacteria..
having said all this,,,,,id like to believe that food establishments,,,are diligent about sanitation,,,,bad news races thru a town and can close a place,, it can financially kill the owners and employees,,so its in there best interest to have proper sanitation procedures,, (hopefully)
and I wonder, for all those who want the places they eat to be perfect based on inspections, what would happen if inspectors came to their home kitchen? These people might be really shocked...
Like you, there are things I can not deal with and yes, if I read the reports in the paper over and over from the same establishments I might not want to eat there again. I just had an experience at a Shoguns here, it didn't take an inspector report to make me know I will never eat there again..Common sense can be our judge.
Like Jasper said, these inspection officers have to follow close guidelines and don't always use their sense. Let's not get overly worked up over a freezer that is 44 degrees inslead of 42 for instance. (I am just using that as an example)
American's are WAY!!!!! to OCD when it comes to food and PERCEIVED cleanliness.
If you've ever eating something from a bake sale, pot luck or at someone elses house more than likely youve eaten food that was prepared in a kitchen that would never pass a health department inspection like nmnita pointed out above.
Speaking of which I have to go disinfect the fridge again.
and I wonder, for all those who want the places they eat to be perfect based on inspections, what would happen if inspectors came to their home kitchen? These people might be really shocked...
Like you, there are things I can not deal with and yes, if I read the reports in the paper over and over from the same establishments I might not want to eat there again. I just had an experience at a Shoguns here, it didn't take an inspector report to make me know I will never eat there again..Common sense can be our judge.
Maybe it is because I was in the industry for years or maybe it is because I spent October 7th in the ER due to the impact of food poisoning, I think that safe food practices in critical.
Commercial kitchen should be held at a HIGHER standard than home kitchens. If I make up a bad pot of chili at home, only my family is at risk, not a good portion of the city.
I would agree with you that a single problem in the kitchen is probably NOT going to cause a foodborne illness. However, if the chicken is held at 50+ during service AND the cook staff failed to wash their hands after a bathroom break AND the plate was not properly cleaned AND their was cross contamination with raw chicken, someone down the line is going to get sick.
You MIGHT be able to judge a restaurant that has an open kitchen BUT many restaurants have their kitchens behind a wall. I have seen Chinese restaurants that keep raw chicken at room temperature for 3+ hours. The foodies I hang with seem OK with that as "that is the way that they do it in the old country." However, no one has told the bacteria about that.
Sorry, but I am still at the point that the mere thought of chicken nachos is enough to bring on nausea.
Maybe it is because I was in the industry for years or maybe it is because I spent October 7th in the ER due to the impact of food poisoning, I think that safe food practices in critical.
Commercial kitchen should be held at a HIGHER standard than home kitchens. If I make up a bad pot of chili at home, only my family is at risk, not a good portion of the city.
I would agree with you that a single problem in the kitchen is probably NOT going to cause a foodborne illness. However, if the chicken is held at 50+ during service AND the cook staff failed to wash their hands after a bathroom break AND the plate was not properly cleaned AND their was cross contamination with raw chicken, someone down the line is going to get sick.
You MIGHT be able to judge a restaurant that has an open kitchen BUT many restaurants have their kitchens behind a wall. I have seen Chinese restaurants that keep raw chicken at room temperature for 3+ hours. The foodies I hang with seem OK with that as "that is the way that they do it in the old country." However, no one has told the bacteria about that.
Sorry, but I am still at the point that the mere thought of chicken nachos is enough to bring on nausea.
I don't think anyone would say food cleanliness isn't important, but it still depends on to what degree. Our paper yesterday had the inspection results like they do every Monday: Here were some examples of serious concerns I might have compared to almost laughable ones, all were considered major I will add: 1-meat left out and tomatoes as well: temp 51 degrees inslead of 41, which is acceptable: bad news, I would be very concerned about eating there....fresh fruit stored in a 5 gallon cool whip container: to me, certainly not a serious health concern...
As for Chinese restaurants, I have found them often, to appear dirty and I love chinese foods, but then I think of the trips I have taken to Hong Kong (twice) and only once did I feel uncomfortable eating in a particular restauant and never did any of us get sick. I think there are so many ways to pick up food poisoning that we just don't realize. We see reports, we occassionally even see the dirt, the bugs, whatever but we don't really know how clean a place is and you know they are not inspected constantly...again, I also, realize, the germs that live in my own kitchen...
Being concerned is one thing, being overly concerned is another.
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I guess she had a point but we never ate there again..
