Do you ever check a Restaurant's Health Code Violations Report?

[badbadboy]

I joined a few people for dinner recently. I enjoyed myself and had what I thought was a wonderful meal. The next day I heard two people in our party were very ill during the night. Using google, I found there was a pending health code violation by this restaurant and it was listed on the Vancouver Coastal Health Website for having some food temperature issues that were unacceptable. I am not going to name the restaurant because I have spoken to the manager and received a complimentary gift certificate entitling us to another meal including beverages etc etc. They definitely want us to return and prove that it was a blip on their previously spotless record.

So prior to going to a restaurant whether its a regular one you visit or a new one, do you ever check out their details to see if they have any health code violations pending re-inspection?

Click Here

 

[badbadboy]

I will say that if I am going to dine at a Sushi place with a friend that I do check that website before agreeing to going to that restaurant.

Once a friend chose one in Vancouver and I said sure "meet you there". I then checked the VCH's website and the restaurant's list of infractions was not pretty. Food handling issues, some sort of 'infestation', construction going on in the kitchen while food was being prepared etc etc etc. I texted my friend and suggested we not pinch pennies and go to one that cost more but we wouldn't be sitting on the head all weekend long.

 

[CheeseBurgers II]

I like the American style of grading restaurants. Walk into the place and see a rating from A to I think C or D as the lowest rating and to me we should have a similar grading system in place.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

when pierre trudeau was courting margaret sinclair, she took him down to the on-on restaurant in chinatown with a group of her friends. the on-on made the most of the fact that pierre trudeau had eaten there, and for many years visitors to vancouver from ottawa just HAD to eat there because trudeau had

years later i read that the health department had busted them for having cat and seagull meat in their freezers

i guess trudeau made sure they never opened their doors again as they never re-opened... ound: ound: ound:

 

[MichaelP]

A couple of weeks ago, CBC Marketplace aired an episode on "Restaurant Secrets". Link here: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2013-2014/canadas-restaurant-secrets

I won't "spoil" which major chain was identified as the worst. Hint, it wasn't McD's....

CB, in the episode, there was mentioned on a similar system in Toronto (which, BTW, is true in NYC, but not necessarily in other US cities). It seems the restaurants associations are somewhat against it.

As for myself, I have given up to the fact there will be issues. Instead, it is the question of to what extent I am willing to accept it. Not that different for some of you in this hobby who choose to go for a BBBJ.

 

[badbadboy]

A couple of weeks ago, CBC Marketplace aired an episode on "Restaurant Secrets". Link here: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2013-2014/canadas-restaurant-secrets

I won't "spoil" which major chain was identified as the worst. Hint, it wasn't McD's....

CB, in the episode, there was mentioned on a similar system in Toronto (which, BTW, is true in NYC, but not necessarily in other US cities). It seems the restaurants associations are somewhat against it.

As for myself, I have given up to the fact there will be issues. Instead, it is the question of to what extent I am willing to accept it. Not that different for some of you in this hobby who choose to go for a BBBJ.[/QUOTE]

BBBJ you say? Are you saying some of this hanky panky is happening in restaurant kitchens?

Please tell me I didn't make a wrong career choice

 

[vancity_cowboy]

Yes I have. There is evidence that people eat less when calories are displayed on menus, and the practice of displaying calorie counts on on menus, now becoming more and more prevalent, aims to help consumers make more informed choices at restaurants, bars and cafés.

Research in America found that when calories were signalled on menus, people ate:
• 152 fewer calories at hamburger venues with each purchase
• 73 less calories at sandwich bars with each purchase
• 6% fewer calories overall each day.

But people still went out and ate. Business won't suffer. More than likely, they'll have to be OK with taking some things out of their meals. And that's just for the people who care. Considering how kids are becoming obese at a much earlier age, and we have an overweight population in general, doesn't it make sense to put the nutrition info on menus so that some people can make that choice. And ideally be less of a drain on our health care system?

As for grading on the window, c'mon. It shouldn't take that much time to figure out whether a restaurant is up to date on health codes. Their cleanliness should be rewarded in the front of the window. Conversely, their shame should be displayed in the front of the window.

two comments:

the proportions served in the u.s. are frankly gross - obviously anything that can curb their gargantuous appetites is a good thing. here in canada, on the other hand, we overpay for a tiny pile of grub in the middle of a vast expanse of tableware so listing calories on a menu is just an affectation to appear politically correct and join in on the fat-shaming

as for posting inspection grades in the window - you're assuming that the inspections are done by impartial inspectors. this is not always the case as there have been an alarming number of inspectors found to be accepting bribes from their inspectees