Suggestion For Restaurant Related Categories

[+TeamRJMK]

I don't know what the customs are in other locations, but here, the county health department issues each restaurant a "score" based on sanitation inspection results. I use this score to help double check whether I want to eat in a particular location.

 

I suggest that waymarks for restaurant related categories be encouraged to include the current health score.

 

~J of TeamRJMK~

[+The Blue Quasar]

Interesting idea.

 

Although, I've never seen one that wasn't listed as GREEN (in Canada anyway)

 

Also, the inspection rules may allow an inspection to rectify conditions after a few weeks and thus the rating would change.

 

Or are you suggesting that people would have to post the current status with their visit entry?

 

If you are suggesting that is be a Listing a New Waymark in the Subcatagory, it would be very labour intensive for the Waymark Owner to continuously update or check on.

 

It would be fun if people that actually ate their meal there would give a review... that would be more interesting to me.

 

The Blue Quasar

 

edit: Typo

Edited January 24, 2006 by The Blue Quasar

[+TeamRJMK]

Here, in Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA, they provide a score up to 100%. I'm not sure what the cutoff is for allowing a restaurant to remain open. I think it is 70%. The are talking about moving to an ABC system where you could have A+ or B- types of scores. (I like the numbers better....)

 

There's a noticable difference in places that consistenty maintain a 98-100% rating and those that consistently maintain an 80-85% rating. (It's all about the management/owner's priorities.) (and places in the 70's talk about rat droppings, roaches and keeping freezers too warm.)

 

I spoke with a county inspector last summer. He said that he recommended eating only at places that score 90 or better. I figure he ought to know!

 

I understand that different areas have different systems for reviewing health and sanitary conditions. I also understand that there are different standards around the world as to what is acceptable and what is not.

 

How about if restaurant category owners encourage waymark loggers to include the current health score in their log? I agree that it would be very difficult for the waymark owner to maintain the current score since it will change over time. (Of course, in the perfect world, the waymark owner would create a link to the online score database that would automatically populate the current information into the waymark description......)

 

I think this should just be an option - not a mandatory requirement for logging.

 

If there is a way to have a special field that could then sort, that would be really nice but I understand if it isn't easy enough to do.

 

Each area should use whatever system they have locally - whether "green" or numbers or letters. (yes, that means that only local sorts on this make sense...)

 

If there isn't a local ranking system or if the local system is just "we close them if they don't meet x standard," then the local community could decide what rankings make sense or just encourage comments about sanitation.

 

Basically, if I'm looking for a new chinese buffet or steak house or a cool "hole-in-the wall" Italian restaurant or even a (gasp) McDonalds, I'd like to have the information to know that the one over here has a low score so I'd be better off going to that one over there....

 

By the way, I LOVE the review idea. That would really be useful!

 

Thanks!

J