Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on July 30, 2026
A new restaurant or an old favorite gets a remodel in your area and you want to check out the vibe. Curiosity is definitely part of the human mindset and we all want to try new things and places. One of the first things I do before trying a new place though is check out their restaurant report on our local health department. These reports contain so much information in our area and some provide enough negative remarks that we choose to find somewhere else to dine.
In many states these reports contain information about when the inspections were done, they also highlight food safety permits but most importantly the cleanliness of the restaurants. They check to see if proper temperatures are being maintained, if fresh meats and vegetables are being stored properly, if hand washing is being taken seriously and so many more things.
All remarks aren’t negative and some can be overlooked more than others but something else that these reports show are repeat infractions meaning that if a place of business isn’t maintaining cleanliness or temperatures of food this is marked. If there is a bug problem that is noted and remarks are made about remediation as well.
Typically, if you just head to your favorite search engine and type in “restaurant reports” followed by the state you live in there is tons of information right at your fingertips. From that point you can find them by locality or by restaurant name.
I will be honest and say that I even check in on our old favorites from time to time to see if there are any new reports. Some people may think that is very odd but I personally like to know and keep up with things like this as it is so easy to become complacent.
Some people don’t realize but nursing homes are on a lot of these reports as well because they have commercial kitchens. Hospitals can be found in many areas, too. I like these features because it helps when deciding on care for aging adults or when we need care ourselves. I have seen some reports that make me decide on take out versus using the facility kitchen for food services while other times the kitchens are immaculate and feature some of the best food you would ever want.
We were once looking over some reviews on local places and decided that we wanted to try a new one. We were shocked to find out that in the last several years that someone had been caught smoking while preparing foods. While this may have been acceptable several decades ago, this is now a big no due to so many health concerns and issues that can arise from smoking in a confined area including the packaging of carryout meals smelling horribly.
When asked about this concern it was apparently brushed off and was not corrected only to be caught again numerous times. This was a total game changer for us going to this establishment.
This wouldn’t be the only local shocker for us as there have been bug related issues in a known Italian eatery and when swept under the rug so to speak the health department actually shut them down until remediation happened. This involved even tearing down walls! Had we not been aware of the inspection reports we may have dined there with our kids and then found out later the horrifying results.
One thing I absolutely love seeing on a restaurant report is resounding praise. These reports are the 5 star, clean, temperature controlled, no bugs etc remarks that make me want to eat out and spend our money in their establishment on a regular basis. These owners and staff take pride in their establishments and it always shows in both their food prep and store cleanliness.
For more information about how to find out if your favorite (or new) restaurant is aiming for the clouds or falling behind in restaurant reports keep an eye on Make Food Safe.