Who doesn’t like going out to eat? If you weigh the advantages and disadvantages
between going out to eat and eating at home, it becomes clear why so many people
choose the former. You get to relax, talk with family and maybe friends, and order a good
hardy meal that is prepped for you. What’s not to like, right? Well there may be some
unknown truths at your favorite restaurants. From cleanliness to prepping the food, how
sanitary are restaurants in Fort Collins?
According to Fort Collins Texas Roadhouse manager Jimmy Dolan, he claims that the
sanitation of a restaurant is “life or death. If you provide food to the public, you need to
make sure that it is stored in the correct way, cooked to the proper temperatures.”
Mama Roni’s Assistant Manager Mike* agrees with Dolan, saying, “We sell food; we
need to feel safe.”
Either way, restaurants have some clean aspects and some dirtier aspects. For example,
the dishwashers constantly go from washing dirty plates to taking the clean plates and
putting them in a pile or bringing them up front for the servers or cooks to use. For the
most part, the dishwashers are using the same gloves—or their hands—to do this. There
are ways to counteract this unsanitary act, such as having one dishwasher be in charge
of only the dirty dishes while the other dishwasher handles the dishes after they are done
getting washed.
Another area that some restaurants struggle with is storing cleaning chemicals next to
food. This is easily fixable but if not handled correctly can cause some serious problems,
amongst other things.
Some restaurants are cleaner than others. In a health inspection report from Jefferson
County Public Health, McDonalds in Arvada received two critical violations and a total
of three violations. On the other hand, Texas Roadhouse in Arvada received no violations
whatsoever in 2009. Jimmy Dolan says “it all depends on the management and what their
core values are on running their business.”
Also, certain cities seem to generally be cleaner than others. For example, in St.
Petersburg, Fla. a reporter from the St. Pete Patch reported that an inspection done at
Indian Grill discovered 27 live roaches, along with many other violations. On the other
hand, the majority of restaurants in Fort Collins received far better health inspections.
There are many ways to prevent a restaurant from being dirty. One of the most important
aspects of restaurant sanitation is the restroom. Dolan says, “If the bathroom’s dirty, the
kitchen’s worse.
That’s why we keep the bathrooms clean; to show how much we care about our guests
and our restaurant.”
Many managers particularly keep an eye on their sanitation because they never know
when a health inspector may come. Mike says “we tell our employees to keep everything
in tip-top shape.”
Although restaurants can be clean or dirty, managers do care about sanitation. They care
because they know it can have a huge impact on their sales. Mike considers his restaurant
to be “extremely successful.” He continues, saying, “My nature says we can easily double
our sales.” Another manager at Texas Roadhouse, Jolene Dolan, agrees. She says that
incorporating the correct sanitation methods, and offering food that everyone loves, “will
translate in to an extremely successful business.”
The good news is that the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have
specific guidelines to follow during their inspections.
When Mike was asked about his past sanitation reports, he says, “We have received
some ‘good,’ but that’s not acceptable to us.”
*Mike’s last name has been omitted to protect his identity
Best Restaurants in Fort Collins by Category, Voted by the Community of Fort
Collins from the Coloradoan
Best Ice Cream: Walrus Ice Cream
Sanitation rating as of 2013: Good
Best Fine Dining: Jay’s Bistro
Sanitation rating as of 2012: Average
Best Breakfast Place: Dempsey’s
Sanitation rating as of 2013: Average
Best sushi/Japanese bar: Suehiro Japanese Restaurant
Sanitation rating as of 2013: Average
Best Dessert: The Chocolate Café
Sanitation rating as of 2013: Good
