detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) So, yesterday was all about things breaking. A valve popped off my range so flames started shooting out where the handle would typically be. Basically right at my chef's package. Those of us in the industry define this as bad. Additionally the lights in my office were out and one of our soap dispenser fell off the wall, busting up. The last wouldn't be such a big deal but, judging by the calendar, we were due for a health inspection and, knowing ours, she'd likely find some reason to get pissed about some random dispenser sitting on the side of the sink. "But I promise, the thing literally just fell off this morning!" At any rate, fast forward to today. Chick shows up for the inspection. It really doesn't matter how ready you are. Any place that actually prepares food rather than heating frozen pouches of pre-made crap is going to be doing something wrong. Someone's drink might not be sitting on the bottom shelf. There might be a towel laying around that they think was being used to towel dry rather than air dry pots and pans, some glass might have water spots on them, the list goes on. So, to provide some context, the woman who inspects my place is known around the area for being the toughest of all the inspectors. That she is tough doesn't bother me so much as the fact that others aren't. Basically, it sets a moving bar so customers are given a false sense of what is and isn't a clean place. There are places that are visibly dirty that get scores in the low to mid 90s. That means people start freaking out if you get anything below a 98 and really freaking out if they see a low 90 or worse. On top of that, there's the unfair comparison that people make from fast food to fine dining. There's hardly any excuse for a fast food place to get a bad score. There's basically no dishes to wash, no food is prepped on site, things go from a freezer to a fryer to a box under a heat lamp. These guys have to be really freaking lazy to get anything below a 95. None theless, somebody walks into a fine dining place and sees a 93 or 94 and starts thinking, "Well if BK can get 100, why can't this nice place do as well?" Further, if you go by the scorecard, points can add up in the strangest ways. For example, the most points you can lose for "presence of live pests" is 4 pts. The most you can lose for "dirty floors, walls, and ceilings" is 1 pt. So, you can have all your other ducks in a row but have filthy walls and floors, plus having rats running across the floor and get a 95. On the other hand, you can lose 6 pts for towel drying your bowls and having a broken thermometer in your reach-in (EVEN IF THE UNIT IS COLD ENOUGH). Not long ago I got nailed for a high "B" pretty much out of nowhere. I run a clean shop and this was literally a situation where I got popped on pretty much every piddly thing I could. The thing that cost me 5 pts was the fact that, at lunch, we grill steaks slightly a head and let them rest. It makes for a better salad. I don't want to serve it cold and if you keep it hot enough, it overcooks. You're allowed to have meats sit between 41 and 140 for up to 2 hours if you allow to go sales. We're a busy place and typically cook about 4-5 batches of steak during a 3 hour lunch period. Nothing sits over about 30-40 minutes. None the less, we had meat sitting out of temp so that was 5 pts right there. At any rate, the thing that pissed me off is that my manager's boyfriend works at a bagel shop in another part of town that got reviewed the same week and got popped for roach and maggot infestation in their dry goods as well food crusted on the dough hook of the mixers as well as a ton of other crap. Their score was 3 pts higher than mine. If anyone went there, saw a roach, saw their score, and then saw mine, they'd figure I had a dead body in my kitchen. Once again, I digress. I'm totally freaked out. Fortunately for not. I got a 96. I just wish everyone knew that might as well be 100 if anyone else is doing the inspection. Oh, and my chef du cuisine just came back with the gold medal at the NC goat cook-off. Spain would be proud. Edited August 17, 2007 by detlef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Do you really get that many customers checking your health inspection scores? I know I've never checked the score for any restaraunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I really have to come out to your place one day. Don't worry about the score. Not too many NYers care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Do you really get that many customers checking your health inspection scores? I know I've never checked the score for any restaraunt. Our last score was a 95. I heard some lady say in a rather disgusted voice as she was walking out, "Oh, 95. Gosh, I wonder what they did wrong." The local news makes a big deal out of it around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Loins of Beef Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 understand completely---if a health inspector is having a bad day or in a hurry your score can vary from 70 to 100-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Our last score was a 95. I heard some lady say in a rather disgusted voice as she was walking out, "Oh, 95. Gosh, I wonder what they did wrong." The local news makes a big deal out of it around here. The local news makes a big deal of it around here too, but that doesn't stop me from going to Pat's BBQ shack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) When my wife was in high school, she worked at a local burger/hot dog joint in CT and the owner made them scrub down the floors AND the walls every night (in addition to the "standard" cleaning). We stopped by there for lunch a few years ago and I was literally amazed at how clean this place was (compared to a McDonald's or BK). This guy is obsessed with cleaning to the point where it's almost a disorder and I guess that he's never gotten a perfect score (usually a 98 or 99). Edited August 17, 2007 by Bill Swerski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Never knew of anyone who gave a flip about those scores. The Simpsons episode with the dead health inspector was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 understand completely---if a health inspector is having a bad day or in a hurry your score can vary from 70 to 100-- 70? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I'd eat one of those steaks if you mailed it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 How does the relate to the alpahbet score (usually A or B - never seen a C) that I see in the windows? My wife basically refuses to go into any B, assuming it must be a Ratatouille Buffet in there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 thanks for the update, grits. i mean....detlef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seminoles Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 70? I think it's an automatic 20 point deduction if Cliaz is a regular at your establishment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Do you really get that many customers checking your health inspection scores? I know I've never checked the score for any restaraunt. Never saw a score posted in my life in a restaraunt in Pa. N.C. has them posted in , I believe, every restaraunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Never saw a score posted in my life in a restaraunt in Pa. N.C. has them posted in , I believe, every restaraunt. By law they have to be visible from the front door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 How does the relate to the alpahbet score (usually A or B - never seen a C) that I see in the windows? My wife basically refuses to go into any B, assuming it must be a Ratatouille Buffet in there..... Same as school. 90 to 100 is an A. 80 to 89 is a B, etc. B's certainly have that rep and, frankly, most deserve your wife's reaction. Many inspectors just give away scores without looking very closely. There was a Asian wholesaler that I bought from for the first few weeks I was open. Once I had to roll down there to pick something up and was completely appalled. I mean, they had bottles of crap on the shelves that had separated turned brown and were covered with greasy dust, slimy produce sitting right next to fresh stuff. Their meat counter was horrific. I had never bought anything from them that hadn't come in an unopened cases, but it totally freaked me out and I found an another source really, really quickly. At any rate, as I was walking out, I looked up and saw the health score... 90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 thanks for the update, grits. i mean....detlef. My restaurant does not sponsor a softball team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Loins of Beef Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) I seen some 70's goes from sanitizer buckets, grease traps, ceiling tiles, not having freezer strips, to many seats, not enough space between tables, grating over floor drains, window sill residue, ceiling fans not turn on, food in walkin not labeled with date, foodstuffs in stockroom not 3 inches off ground, cleaning utensils stored next to flour, employees working without disposable gloves or hair net, kitchen sink not up to hot temperature ---but I feel your pain Detlef glad I don't have to go through that any more--I rank inspectors right up there with food critics Edited August 17, 2007 by Sir Loins of Beef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cre8tiff Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 thanks for the update, grits. i mean....detlef. Now if Detlef had told us in extreme detail how his kid cooked PBJ better than anyone else, I could see this mistake... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 The local news makes a big deal of it around here too, but that doesn't stop me from going to Pat's BBQ shack. Never seen one of these scores, couldn't care less. I go out, I shovel it in, I crap it out, repeat. I'm a gourmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 70? Hot dogs cooked on random broken sticks over a campfire should qualify for more than a 70 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Update: We're having a great f'ing day. I was so whacked out with stress from the inspector, I sat down and had a beer. We got off to a nice busy start and are still packed, my crew is completely on top of it, it looks like the slow summer season is ending, people are ordering better than the typical Friday cheapskates, people are digging it, and I'm just cruising around glad-handing the regulars. This is why I like my job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Update: We're having a great f'ing day. I was so whacked out with stress from the inspector, I sat down and had a beer. We got off to a nice busy start and are still packed, my crew is completely on top of it, it looks like the slow summer season is ending, people are ordering better than the typical Friday cheapskates, people are digging it, and I'm just cruising around glad-handing the regulars. This is why I like my job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 So... did ya do her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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