The Eating Chambers Addresses Abyssmal Health Scores at Local Restaurants

What is up, my Eaters! I hope you are all well. How was Christmas? Ours was all about the kids. My wife also started her annual declutter. I just hope we still have a house by the time she gets through with it.

This week I’m going to switch my tone up just a little bit. I want to talk with you—directly—about local health scores in restaurants and other food establishments, and the responsibilities that come with them. Over the last year, I’ve become increasingly disturbed by an unfortunate trend: local food establishments are receiving health inspection scores that are absolutely unacceptable.

Before I get started, I want it to be known that I am not writing this week’s column in judgment. It’s also not my intent to disparage any business or individual. Health scores are public information and can easily be found online at the Georgia Department of Public Health website, or posted near the entrance of any foodservice or restaurant establishment. There are also a few local Facebook pages that share them regularly.

Here’s a brief overview. Restaurants and other foodservice businesses are governed by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Agriculture. For the purpose of this week’s column, we’re focusing only on the Department of Public Health (DPH). The way DPH communicates to the public that they’re doing their job is through inspection scores, which are required to be posted in close proximity to the front door of every restaurant or foodservice establishment.

These scores come from inspections that DPH conducts at least twice per year. And let me be clear: these inspections are thorough. The primary purpose is not just to determine whether a kitchen “looks clean.” It’s to assess the likelihood that an establishment will contaminate food or spread foodborne illness. High scores mean guests are safe. Low scores mean they are not.

DPH scores are based on too many variables to list here, and each violation carries a different point value. Some issues might only cost an establishment a point or two. Others can cost as many as nine points. For that reason, foodservice leaders and workers have to remain diligent at all times to keep their operations safe—because safety is not something you “get right” once and then relax.

But that diligence has not been happening around Fayette and Coweta Counties.

As of the most recent inspection reports, the Department of Public Health lists 23 food businesses in Fayette and Coweta Counties with scores between 40 and 79 on their latest inspections. In my opinion, these scores are never events. They should never happen.

In healthcare, “never events” refer to the unimaginable things that can occur—operating on the wrong body part, losing a newborn baby, or closing an incision without removing all surgical tools and apparatus from the wound.

It is my opinion that a restaurant or foodservice business should never—I repeat, never—earn a score lower than 80. In the kitchens that my wife and I run, we always expect a score of 85 or higher.

What has been most alarming is that several popular restaurants—such as Viet’s Cuisine in Peachtree City, Kobe Steak in Peachtree City, Peach Cobbler Factory, and Tokyo Hibachi & Sushi of Fayetteville—received scores below 40. Three of them scored in the 40s. Tokyo Hibachi & Sushi’s score was the most disturbing: they received a 33.

In my opinion, scores this low are grossly negligent at best. They reflect a complete disregard for the basic fundamentals of commercial food safety and sanitation. They also show disregard for the health of customers. If you patronize these places, I suggest you stop immediately. I understand that things happen, but as I said earlier, negligent scores such as these should never happen.

Eaters, I love America—but the food in our country has already been severely compromised, and Fayette and Coweta Counties are not exempt from that reality. People are already suffering from the stress and inconvenience of excessive food allergies and sensitivities. You should not also have to worry about whether a restaurant or foodservice provider is going to keep you safe and healthy.

In conclusion, I want to encourage each of you to start walking in your responsibility in this. When you patronize local food establishments, you have a responsibility to actively look for their DPH score. It’s the first thing I do when I walk into a restaurant. If it looks good, acknowledge it with a compliment to management—and keep eating there. That compliment will consciously and subconsciously remind the staff to continue doing whatever it takes to maintain a strong score.

And if the DPH score doesn’t look good—meaning it’s below 80—you should also walk in your responsibility to express your disapproval and stop purchasing food from that establishment. We have to stop rewarding the bad behavior that’s creating this problem.

Now, to the foodservice workers—whoever you are, wherever you work—this part is for you too. Walk in your responsibility. Safety and sanitation are not “extra,” and they’re not just management’s job. They are the bare minimum, and they should be taken seriously every single shift—not just when you think an inspector might be coming. Every plate you touch is going into somebody’s body. Take pride in doing it right. Follow temps. Wash your hands. Label and date. Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate. Clean as you go. And if you see a problem, don’t step over it—fix it. Your customers should leave full, not sick.

As always, I look forward to being with you again next week. Happy New Years and remember that you can always come see me or my team at the Peachtree City Farmers Market every Saturday.