Always Review a Restaurant Inspection Report

With restaurants and bars closed throughout Texas due to Covid-19 and with drive-thru, take-out, and delivery the only options currently available, it is more important than ever for consumers to take proper precautions when it comes to their health and safety.

Before ordering food from any food establishment, TexasPHS recommends that you first check the food establishment’s health inspection report. 

According to the Texas Food Establishment Rules, a restaurant owner must “notify customers that a copy of the most recent establishment inspection report is available upon request by posting a sign or placard in a location in the food establishment that is conspicuous to customers or by another method acceptable to the regulatory authority.” 

Many Texas municipalities also post health inspection reports on their websites. 

There are certain violations that scream “DO NOT EAT HERE!” due to the critical nature of the food safety and sanitation infraction.

TexasPHS will point out the most significant violations to be on the lookout for.

RED FLAG: Poor Personal Hygiene and Hands As a Vehicle of Contamination

Special attention should be given to the potential for hands as a vehicle of
contamination, especially during life in Covid-19. An effective management system for the prevention of hand contamination involves three primary elements:
• An effective employee health policy
• Proper hand washing
• No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.

If a food establishment has violations related to improper hand washing, improper glove use, or touching ready-to-eat foods with bare hands, DO NOT EAT AT THAT RESTAURANT – PERIOD.

There are a wide range of communicable diseases and infections that can be transmitted by an infected food employee. If restaurant management has no control over the hygiene of its food workers, they do not deserve your business.

RED FLAG: Inadequate Sanitation and Condition of the Facilities

Unfortunately, there is still a percentage of food establishments that fail to adhere to the minimum requirements related to cleanliness and sanitation.

Basic sanitation and kitchen/facility maintenance is crucial for the following reasons:

• To protect products from contamination by biological, chemical, and physical
  food safety hazards.
• To provide for the control of bacterial growth that can result from temperature abuse during storage and handling.
• To maintain kitchen equipment and food contact surfaces, especially equipment used to maintain product temperatures.

On the inspection report, if a food establishment has 3 of the following critical violations, DO NOT EAT AT THAT RESTAURANT. PERIOD.

• Food contact surfaces not clean to sight and touch.
• A lack of sanitizer available at the establishment.
• A dishmachine not sanitizing or operating properly.
• An employee washing dishes in a three-compartment sink without utilizing a sanitizing solution as the final step.
• No Person In Charge or Certified Food Manager present to monitor the actions of the food workers and the overall condition of the food establishment.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: TexasPHS loves the restaurant and hospitality industry. Our founders started as servers and bartenders back in the day. Our hearts go out to the millions upon millions of workers and business owners that are affected by this illness. This does not mean that restaurants and other food establishments get a free pass when it comes to food safety. TexasPHS is committed to improving food safety through effective, real-life training and education and protecting the health of Texans. Restaurants and other food establishments that blatantly abuse food safety regulations don’t deserve the business of the Texas consumer.