Batali v. the inspectors

Most people, safe in their suburban lifestyles, have no idea what happens on a daily basis in this country when you start peeling back the veneers.

Oh I dunno...I think the average Joe is more on the ball than you're giving him credit for...Which probably goes a long way in explaining why many of us live in the suburbs and not the city...or on a more broad level in Louisville Kentucky and not New York City.

This seems to be a common practice these days even here in Louisville. My girlfriend and I decided to try out a local restaurant for the first time this past week and were turned away. We walked into an establishment open from lunch through dinner at around two o’clock. We walked in and what I suspect was a server approached holding “sizzle pans” full of meat and informed us that the health department had arrived and that they were not serving food. We both kind of laughed and informed the nervous employee that we both work in the industry and we understand the health department inspection would take about 30 minutes. Again I’m assuming but what appeared to be a manager approached and paid us no attention and the “server” continued on saying he was given a “gag order and was not to serve food.” The person who was speaking to us looked to the manager and asked what he should do with the sizzle pans full of meat and she asked who they were for. He replied that they were for the customers waiting at the counter for their food and asked what he should do with it. I jokingly said that he should dump them in the garbage and put the pans into the dish tank to which he said I was right and did so. After several minutes of standing in front of employees we decided the effort was futile and decided to leave without any type of apology from the staff. We will not be back. I agree that health department visits are intimidating but to a business that is hard up for cash and patrons to turn away customers because they can’t comply with health code is ludicrous. Put on gloves and a hat and serve the customers! The fallowing days I noticed an A on the door and customers in the restaurant, so their efforts weren’t for nothing. On the other hand I always remember that if a guest has a good experience they’ll tell a friend, if they have a bad experience, they’ll tell ten friends.

Mark,

The hat and glove stuff is the easy part that most restaurants already do. It's the other hoops that are ridiculous. I had an inspector at one of my stores actually stop my staff in the middle of lunch service and force them all to come over to a hand sink so that he could teach them how to wash their hands properly as if they were 3 year-olds. The whole thing was demeaning, insulting, and wasted precious time in the middle of a busy lunch service. And, as far as I can tell, was completely unprompted as none of my staff would have been in a position to demonstrate incorrect hand washing at that time.
It's being stopped (again) in the middle of service so that the inspector can check the temperatures in EVERY pan on your steam table even though you keep records of temperature checks on hand that demonstrate that you are holding food safely.
It's losing points because a towel used ONLY in sanitizer water and ONLY for wiping down guest tables is found to be draped over a sanitizer spray bottle instead of being submerged in a bucket of sanitizer solution (which it would be before use anyway).
It's having to stop and make sure that the bag of shredded cheese you just got out of the refrigerator to refill a bin goes back into the refrigerator in case you don't get to it before the inspector sees it, decides this is how you have chosen to store your cheese, and then forces you to throw it out.

These are the maddening things that make something as absurd as shutting down when the inspector arrives seem reasonable.

(I should note, not all inspectors are out to get you. I've had my fair share of inspectors who actually understand the restaurant industry and appreciate the goings-on of a busy restaurant and are there to help you and make sure that you are not doing anything dangerous. But I've also seen those who choose otherwise.)

[Robin Garr]

But I've also seen those who choose otherwise.)

Just out of curiosity, Ronnie, have you ever seen those who might have their hand out in hope of a tip? As an old city hall reporter, I know there have been issues with this kind of thing with all manner of city inspectors in times past, but no idea how much more carefully it may be policed in this generation.

(Feel free to reply privately if you prefer, although if any of this is going on, I'd be delighted to help get it out in the open.)

Ronnie,
I understand what you’re saying, the nit picking can be maddening but these practices you’ve described should be every day routine. I’ve been working in kitchens for over 13 years and by now it is common practice to immediately return things to the walk after refilling a bin, to keep a towel submerged in the sanitizer (and not draped over a spray bottle), and to wash your hands with the pump out towels, turn on water, soap and wash hands for 20 seconds in 110 degree water, rinse, dry hands with towel and use the same towel to turn off the water. If you do these things correctly for years and years (or trained properly to begin with) it shouldn’t be an issue when the health department walks in. Still with a highly experienced staff it is urged to do as little as possible in front of the health department even though we do things right on a day in day out basis. My point is why would you be so concerned about what you’re doing to turn a customer away? I have complaints as well about the health department like why I need a HACCP plan to use a cryovac machine when restaurants across the city don’t have to have one including ones sous viding protein. But none the less you don’t turn customers away, and if you do there should be an apology for doing so. I doubt when a customer walks into J-gumbo and the health department is there you tell them “sorry, no voodoo chicken today folks, the health department is here and we’re throwing all of our food away.” Maybe it should be more like “sorry folks, your voodoo chicken is going to take a couple minutes extra because we’re taking 10 minutes to retrain our employees how to wash their hands” hahaha. But really you’d come up with something to cover your ass, you know, recovery.

Robin- Thankfully, I have never been witness to such a thing. I have no doubt it goes on; look how long Genny's Diner stayed open...

Mark F. In the case of the hand washing, it was apropos of nothing, the inspector just decided it was time to demean my staff. We always teach and practice safe hand washing in our stores.

We've never shut down operations of one of our stores for the health inspector's visit because our stores should never have anything to fear from a normal, sane inspection. Our operations are simple and our procedures have been developed with the assistance of the FDA, but the Health Department could operate with a little bit of restaurant sense and realize that I do not store sour cream at room temperature in the middle of a prep table; that the sour cream is probably there for a reason and soon to be used for that reason or put back in the refrigerator. For that reason I am far harder on my stores than any health inspector would be. I hold them to an even higher standard so that there are no reasons to fear the health inspector.

A prime example about how uneven inspections can be.
Here at the JCPS Nutrition Service Center, we were visited by the local health dept. for a surprise inspection just yesterday. Apparently the state who use to be responsible for routine inspections has turned over inspections of facilities such as ours over to the locals in a budget cut move.
Even though the outgoing state inspector was with the locals showing them the ropes, they seemed very ill equipped and un-trained to inspect a facility such as our 85,000 sq. ft. commissary operation.

Unfortunately, I still got docked for a hand sink that was fully stocked with soap and paper towels and very assessable, but because I never use that one, the water was running cold.
I pointed out to the inspectors that I indeed have THREE designated hand sinks in my area but the only one I really use is the one closest to my work station. And yes the water was the proper 110 coming out of that one. Also since that I'm the only person that is allowed into and uses my kitchen, that seemed a little ridiculous to me.

In striking comparison, we had just recently gotten a surprise inspection from the FDA a couple of months ago that was the most thorough inspection I've ever been privy to. They were here 8 hours a day for an entire week observing our practices, they combed through all the records and swabbed every conceivable surface for lab testing. However, we passed with flying colors, check pluses and smiley faces. The inspectors actually told us that we have a model facility.
But according to the locals, instead of a 100% score, we have a 96, because of one hand sink that never gets used.