Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer has requested that the Health Care Agency update the issue of the public’s right to know about restaurant health and sanitation issues, which the Board of Supervisors last dealt with in 2008. That was the year the Orange County Grand Jury recommended letter grade health ratings for restaurants.
The 2007-2008 Orange County Grand Jury concluded that the procedure for notifying the public in Orange County about the cleanliness and safety of neighborhood restaurants is almost non-existent. They were right. It still is. Oh you can ask a restaurant for their inspection reports, but who does that?
So can you trust our restaurants? Not the ones in Downtown Santa Ana! Here are their latest health inspection reports – and major and minor health violations:
- 828 Pho – Oh my. They were inspected on January 7, 2013, and received THREE major health violations, including “Improper Warewashing/Inoperable Dishmachine.” They also received 12 minor health violations. They received three more minor health violations on January 17.
- Bistro 400 – They received one major health violation after an inspection on November 6, 2012, for “Improper Food Storage,” seven minor health violations. They then received four more minor health violations after another inspection on November 13, 2012.
- Chapter One: The Modern Local – Their last inspection was on October 26, 2012. They had one major violation, “Improper Holding Temp of PHF (60F-120F), (50F-59F),” and five minor violations, including “Lack of Food Protection Manager Certificate” and “Inadequate Hygiene (Hair/Clothing/Eating/Drinking)”
- The Crosby – Their last inspection was on October 30, 2012. They had one major violation, “Improper Sanitizer Concentration/Method,” and six minor violations, including “Evidence of Vermin Activity/Presence of Animals/Insects.”
- Festival Hall – They rang up three minor health violations after an inspection on February 14, 2013, including “Restroom in Disrepair/Unclean/Improp. Use/Supplies.”
- The Grilled Cheese Spot – They were inspected on December 18, 2012. They received five minor health violations, including “Signs/Labels/Menu Board/Trans Fat-Missing/Incorrect/Lack of Food Handler Card.” And you simply must read their Yelp reviews. Awful!
- The Gypsy Den – They received a major health violation on August 6, 2012, for “Improper Holding Temp of PHF (60F-120F), (50F-59F).” They were inspected again on December 20, and received eight minor health violations, including “Inadequate Hygiene (Hair/Clothing/Eating/Drinking).” They were finally cleared after another inspection on Dec. 21.
- Izalco – I must say this one disappointed me. They were inspected on January 3, 2013, and received one major health violation and eleven minor health violations. They received a major health violation on August 7, 2012 too.
- Lola Gaspar – They received two major health violations and eight minor violations after being inspected on July 2, 2012, including “Improper Sanitizer Concentration/Method.” They received one more major health violation, “Improper Cooling Practices,” and nine more minor health violations after another inspection on November 15, 2012. They were handed four more minor health violations after another inspection on November 29, 2012, including “Lack of Food Protection Manager Certificate.”
- Memphis at the Santora – They were inspected on October 9, 2012, and received eight minor health violations, including “Evidence of Vermin Activity/Presence of Animals/Insects” and “Uncleanliness of Premises/Trash Storage.” They were inspected again on October 16, 2012, and received three more minor health violations, including “Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing.”
- Original Mike’s – They received a major health violation, “Improper Holding Temp of PHF (60F-120F), (50F-59F),” after being inspected on October 10, 2012, as well as eight minor health violations.
- The Playground – Their last inspection was on November 8, 2012. They had eight minor health violations including “Restroom in Disrepair/Unclean/Improp. Use/Supplies.”
- Proof Bar – They just celebrated their 7th Anniversary, but they were inspected on January 9, of this year, resulting in four minor health violations, including “Lack of/Improper Handwashing/Handwashing Sup.” They were inspected again on January 17, resulting in three more minor health violations. They were finally cleared on January 24.
- The Yost Theatre – They had a follow-up inspection on November 28, 2012. They had ten minor health violations including “Evidence of Vermin Activity/Presence of Animals/Insects.” They have since been busted for selling food outside their establishment. And they got another minor violation, for “Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing,” on January 3, of this year.
We can’t have letter grade health ratings soon enough!
According to this list, every eating establishment in town is a health hazard. Do you need me to keep you company at dinner time? You making Shrimp Scampi?
That is why we need letter grade health ratings for restaurants. We have a right to know this information. I guess your commitment to transparency is a bit shaky?
Boo hooooo. I’m so sad. Not.
Your emotional state is immaterial. At least now you’re well informed.
“Your emotional state is immaterial”
I like that.
I am going to use that one more often.
Please do. And remember to look up a restaurant’s health violation record before you spend your hard-earned moolah there…
Oh, I’m well informed outside this comic strip. Thank you for taking card of me though. I shall shed my tears and cry no more. I feel loved. Dinner in Downtown Tuesday night.
Rule of thumb. If the restaurant you eat at has an unclean bathroom don’t eat there. Good luck on Tuesday.
Funny stuff. You are really caught up with this topic, and again, it’s obvious that you are doing it moreso to trash the restaurants, rather than to inform the public. But, do it under any guise you must.
How many of these restaurants were forced to shut down because of their violations? These reports are rarely ever clean after any restaurant visit. Have you ever worked in the service industry?
You nailed it. It’s more about trashing these particular restaurants. After the transparency of his motives was exposed last time around, this time he’s thrown in a couple places that don’t fit into the gentrification bias he shows toward most of these establishments. I guess he thinks this will help him appear “objective.” And you’re absolutely right…virtually all restaurants have these violations if they’re around long enough and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re places to be avoided.
Hey Editor, do you examine the inspection history of EVERY restaurant you visit?
No I don’t. That is the point. It is hard to remember to do so in every instance. That is why we need letter grade health ratings.
I must say I continue to find these records to be most disturbing. Clearly the owners of these establishments are not going to change until they are forced to do so. Once we have letter grade health ratings they will keep their restaurants clean and safe or pay a bitter price once they get tagged with a “B” or a “C” grade.
I have worked in safety and risk control for over fifteen years and have in fact worked in hotel and restaurant operations. I am a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers. I know these issues quite well.
The chefs at the gourmet restaurants know better. They are being lazy and lax because of the lack of letter grade health ratings. Hopefully our County Supervisors will require letter grade health ratings. That will force the restaurant owners to clean up their acts!
I used to work @ The Gypsy Den. THE WORST JOB EVER! Rats, Mold, and careless owners who don’t treat anyone with respect.