Chain eateries do better in health inspections

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It's 3 a.m. when the unbearable stomach cramps begin. As you pull your knees to your chest, and wait for the inevitable, you can't help but ask yourself: "Was it the chicken sandwich I ordered at dinner?"

If you dined in Salt Lake County, your restaurant choice might help determine the answer.

The chance of getting a food-borne illness is greater at a "mom and pop" restaurant than at a national chain, according to an analysis conducted by The Salt Lake Tribune of Salt Lake Valley health inspection reports.

In 16 of Salt Lake County's 18 cities, the dining establishments with the highest number of critical health code violations over the past two years were small Utah-based businesses. Critical violations pose the greatest risks to public health and include infractions such as storing raw meat over fresh vegetables or storing food at a temperature that promotes bacterial growth.

All types of restaurants topped these city lists, from buffets and seafood restaurants, to brew pubs and drive-ins.

Of course, small and local does not mean deadly.

Utah restaurants serve 2.5 million meals a day, so the number of people who actually get sick eating out is miniscule. And oftentimes, people assume restaurant food made them sick, when they're often to blame for their own improper handling of food at home.

Still, diners who want to ensure a Salt Lake County restaurant that they frequent is clean and preparing food properly can turn to restaurant-inspection reports for nearly 3,900 food service facilities -- from fine dining restaurants and fast food outlets to schools and hospitals -- now available on the Salt Lake Valley Health Department Web site at http://www.slvhealth.org" Target="_BLANK">http://www.slvhealth.org

Consumers can search by restaurant name, address or city as well as through a four-star rating system. The system ranks restaurants on a scale from one to four, based on how well each fared compared with similar establishments. Restaurants that earn four stars are in the top 25 percent of their comparison group.

In addition to the star ratings, consumers can view the number of critical and noncritical violations a restaurant received during routine inspections. Critical violations are posted in red lettering. Noncritical violations, considered more cosmetic or building related, are listed in blue. The site also shows the results of follow-up inspections. It's a massive amount of data, as Salt Lake Valley Health Department conducts about 5,600 food-related inspections each year.

Since the site was launched, it has had more than 1.5 million page views.

The Tribune analyzed the data on a city-by-city basis and found that during the past two years, locally owned restaurants collect more critical violations than their chain counterparts.

The finding did not surprise Bryce C. Larsen, director of the Health Department's Bureau of Food Protection.

"National chains have the financial means and resources to do whatever is needed to address safety issues and employee training," Larsen said.

In nine cites, ethnic restaurants had the most violations. The problem in these restaurants often can sometimes be attributed to employees who cannot read, write or speak English fluently, explained Melva Sine, director of the Utah Restaurant Association.

Different cultural practices also play a role.

In many Asian countries, for example, when making traditional fried rice, the cooked rice is left at room temperature overnight to harden. Of course, in America, that is a serious health code violation.

"In their homeland, they focus on tradition, but in America we focus on safety," Sine said. "We just have to work with those owners to help them understand that their focus has to change."

Employee turnover -- which at some establishments can be has high as 77 percent in a year's time -- is another problem for many restaurants.

With an ever-evolving staff, "there's never a time when you are not trying to educate and train new employees about food-handler practices, new technology or the latest strain of flu," said Sine.

Despite the statistics, that doesn't mean you should avoid every neighborhood diner.

"A lot of smaller, family owned restaurants do extremely well," with the health department, said Larsen.

David Barker, owner of Cafe Med in South Salt Lake, said after talking with colleagues in larger operations, he believes inspectors are often harder on the "little guys."

"They let the big chains and hotels get away with certain practices, but they get us for every little thing," he said, adding that he finds the inspectors are always willing to help him work out solutions.

"They will let you fix things while they are still there, so it's not on your list," he said, adding that instead of being confrontational, "inspections always seem more like a group effort."

kathys@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">kathys@sltrib.com