Your Favorite Restaurant Has Been Shut Down For Health Violations! Now What?

fmdog44

fmdog44

Well-known Member
Location
Houston, Texas
Gordon Ramsey's shows about horrible restaurants is scary to me because I wonder how many of the places I frequent have kitchens that resemble some of the pig stys Ramsey discovers. So here is my question, what would you do if anything, if you saw a report showing disgusting conditions at a place you frequent? Would you call them or go to the business and complain or just blow it off as a bad deal and never return?
 

It depends on the violation. If it is food that is improperly stored, rodents, etc... I would probably not go back.

If it is because of a dirty fan blade in the walk-in cooler I wouldn't give it much thought.

I do appreciate it that the restaurant inspections are published in the online version of our local newspaper so you can get a feel for who the good guys are. They also include the privately operated commercial kitchen inspections for organizations like the, VFW, churches, soup kitchens, etc...

Many, many years ago we had a high-end restaurant in town that had a basement kitchen with a backup in the sewer lines. The cooks, chefs, etc... were wearing rubber boots in order to keep the restaurant afloat. The health department was not amused and shut them down until the repairs were made.
 

I've been watching his new show, and used to watch his old show Kitchen Nightmares. So, I've seen a lot of nasty things that go on in restaurants, the severity of some surprise me, but I always suspected that certain bad practices were always happening behind the scenes at some restaurants. I'm with Aunt Bea, if I could see what the violations were, they weren't too bad, and they were corrected, then I'd continue to go there if the food is good. If the violations were extreme, I likely wouldn't go back there.

Honestly, we rarely go to restaurants anymore, we just buy good foods like king crab legs, rib-eye steaks, salmon, lamb sirloins, and prepare them at home. Taste better than most restaurants, served hot and we control the cleanliness. Even a simple salad handled by a kitchen staff who didn't wash their hands after using the restroom can make you sick....although at this stage in life, I think I'm immune to simple things like salmonella contamination, will even eat a small piece or two of raw ground beef 97% lean with salt before making tacos or hamburgers. Immune system has done me well so far.
 
I would stop going there until the next report showed all violations have been rectified.

SB, when I was a child, I loved to sneak a lump or two of raw ground beef when my mother was about to make meatloaf- loved it.
 
I probably wouldn't go there anymore although if I saw something that was affecting me and possibly others while I was there I certainly would call the manager over. A couple of years ago,while travelling across country we stopped at an IHop. The booth that we were seated in had a steady stream of ants going to the syrup containers and then over the divider. We pointed this out and they apologized profusely and we were moved. I saw them cleaning the area while we were there. Another time a restaurant had a small buffet. I took some canned peaches and they had a sting to them when I tried to eat them. A sure sign they were going bad. We mentioned it and they removed the tray of peaches. Hopefully they discarded them.
 
What puzzles me about the violations is they are visible to the eye yet it takes an inspector to site them for the violations before they correct them. So why would anyone believe they would not repeat the violations?. I mean, either you give a damn or you don't. I'll bet their kitchens at home don't look like the restaurants. I love when the managers are taken to the kitchen to view the violations and act shocked to see them. Now, if you are the manager what are you managing?! The coat room?
 
As one who worked in restaurants both in high school and college, I can tell you that the whole inspection system is a farce, at least in the towns I worked in, including Chicago. The major restaurateurs are in bed with the inspectors, and it's usually the littler guys who get picked on. Occasionally, a new inspector will go after a big fish, but he/she quickly learns what happens to those who mess up the kick-back system. If you saw what goes on, in the kitchens of the restaurants you frequent, you'd stop going, plain and simple. I'm a gourmet vegan chef, and I cook at home far more than I dine out. My kitchen experiences are one of the reasons I taught myself to cook far better fare than what you can buy, out. Just a sample of what you don't see: Meat falls on the floor, no biggie, it gets rinsed in the dish rinsing sink, in hot water. If it's raw, well, it's going on the grill, so what the heck, right? Guy wipes his nose with his hand, gets the garnishes, puts them on your plate, and you start feeling ill in the next few days, after your night out. Moldy onion? So what. Grill it, it'll be fine. And on and on and - - - -
 
treeguy64 said:
As one who worked in restaurants both in high school and college, I can tell you that the whole inspection system is a farce, at least in the towns I worked in, including Chicago. The major restaurateurs are in bed with the inspectors, and it's usually the littler guys who get picked on. Occasionally, a new inspector will go after a big fish, but he/she quickly learns what happens to those who mess up the kick-back system. If you saw what goes on, in the kitchens of the restaurants you frequent, you'd stop going, plain and simple. I'm a gourmet vegan chef, and I cook at home far more than I dine out. My kitchen experiences are one of the reasons I taught myself to cook far better fare than what you can buy, out. Just a sample of what you don't see: Meat falls on the floor, no biggie, it gets rinsed in the dish rinsing sink, in hot water. If it's raw, well, it's going on the grill, so what the heck, right? Guy wipes his nose with his hand, gets the garnishes, puts them on your plate, and you start feeling ill in the next few days, after your night out. Moldy onion? So what. Grill it, it'll be fine. And on and on and - - - -
Click to expand...

As far as Chicago goes my dad's best friend was tied to the inspectors in all fields from building to food and he laughed his but off on how corrupt the whole system was under Mayor Daley. But back to food places I worked in a deli during high school and everything was up to snuff and spotless because the owner insisted on it.
 
I used to love eating out, but it gets expensive and I've become more suspicious as I get older about the cleanliness in those places. And whether they get caught depends on the timing of the visit and the honesty of the inspector.
 
Anthony Bourdain's book, "Kitchen Confidential" was a true eye-opener. That said, most home kitchens wouldn't pass a full inspection either.

During college years I worked at a McDonald's and it was absolutely spotless. If there were no customers at the counter we were expected to be cleaning. All the machines were taken apart every night and thoroughly cleaned. McD held their own surprise inspections back in those days and they were far more rigorous than the city inspectors. Woe to any owner whose franchise didn't pass muster.
 
StarSong said:
During college years I worked at a McDonald's and it was absolutely spotless.
Click to expand...

There are always exceptions to the rule. My daughter used to work at a deli and she said the manager was very demanding about cleanliness and food safety. And I agree with you that many home kitchens probably would not pass inspections, mine included, but I am comfortable with my degree of cleanliness. I am especially paranoid about leaving food out for too long and keep lots of food in the refrigerator that most people keep out (flour, nuts, wine, ketchup, etc)
 
PVC said:
And I agree with you that many home kitchens probably would not pass inspections, mine included, but I am comfortable with my degree of cleanliness. I am especially paranoid about leaving food out for too long and keep lots of food in the refrigerator that most people keep out (flour, nuts, wine, ketchup, etc)
Click to expand...

My kitchen is also very clean but probably not up to commercial standards. I know that my hot water isn't at the temp that commercial kitchens require, nor do I clean with bleach, for instance. On the other hand, we don't eat meat, fish or dairy so our cross- contamination risks are comparatively low.
 
Comparing our kitchens to restaurants is not equal. We know what we have as opposed to expecting or hoping a eatery is clean. For sure, my kitchens have never resembled some of the horror shows I have seen on TV. I saw a report on local restaurant ice teas and it showed a majority of them had fecal matter in them from the lemons put on the glasses by employees that never wash their hands after the bathroom. Needless to say I never get a lemon with my water.
 
I've become more reluctant to eat out. I do once in awhile, but I prefer to cook my own food. For one thing, I'll bet if hidden cameras were placed in restaurants (diners, fast food, upscale...doesn't matter) we'd see that most employees don't wash their hands after using the bathroom or picking their noses. Eeewww. At least the Subway employees put on fresh plastic gloves.

There's a Chinese restaurant near me that friends & relatives used to like to go to. I was never crazy about it. Too dark, the food isn't great, and last time I was there I detected a strong musty smell. Maybe the carpet needed cleaned, I don't know. But I haven't been there in a couple years...won't even get take out from them.

 
Last edited:
Eating out for breakfast and lunch is more work than pleasure when you can fix something in your PJs and uncombed hair, barefoot and needing a shave. No tipping required.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top