This post is in response to a failed health inspection by a popular local burger boutique, Flip Burger Boutique Buckhead, on April 8, 2011. Due to the mix responses, I felt compelled to respond to this article that was originally reported by Richard Blais.
While Flip (Buckhead) may have a stellar history of high scoring health inspections; nonetheless, on this day they did not. This score is the result of a day in the life of a restaurant gone awry. In reality, it only takes one bad day to wreak havoc in the life of an innocent and unsuspecting patron. Therefore, the county health department and the restaurant are a common firewall to prevent this bad day from ever coming to fruition.
The truth of the matter is that on this day Flip (Buckhead) was derelict in its part to meet this rather public obligation. Therefore, we should neither understate nor excuse its score on the basis that the failed items are unimportant or irrelevant. In fact, upon closer inspection, one will discover that 25 points of the 69 points lost were related to Foodborne Illness Risk Factors and Public Health Interventions. This should never be taken lightly by neither the health department, nor the restaurant, nor the public.
There are two proactive measures that a restaurant can take in order to prevent this day from happening. First, management and employees must pay attention to the details – daily. Things like employee cups in the wrong place, chemicals placed near food and supplies, coolers and freezers without thermostats, etc. are all indicative of inattention to details. In the context of a busy restaurant, it is the managers’ responsibility to set the tone. I have been in the restaurant busy for more than 17 years; therefore, I know that this is not always an easy task to do. Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to constantly teach and train employees and crew members on how to assist in discharging this responsibility.
Secondly, it is also a good idea to routinely hold mock inspections on a regular basis in order to train and “condition” employees on the inspection process and expectations. This is done by making a copy of a Health Inspection Report and scoring your restaurant from the eyes of the health inspector. In the end, this goes a long way in taking the “routine” out of routine health inspections.
The Restaurantist™
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