After speaking with a few restaurant owners I am becoming aware of a scam that our public health department is running.
Public health performs restaurant inspections. Facilities receive a grade from zero to 100, with 100 being the best. Points are taken off for myriads of dastardly deficiencies, like having a dented can or letting the corner of an onion bag touch the floor. These deficiencies can take 4 points each off of a restaurant’s score.
A score below 70 is considered failing and the restaurant must remedy the issues and then be re-inspected. Here is where the scam comes in. The restaurant owners that I have been speaking with universally tell me that the inspector comes in and tries to find any and every minor infraction that they can. The restaurant is given a failing score.
The inspector offers to re-inspect the facility after the operator is given a few minutes to eliminate the problems found. The restaurant is then given a passing grade and can stay open. The scam?
The city charges $85 to re-inspect the facility.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Now, that sucks…as a former employee of what was then the City-County Health Department, I do not believe this kind of thing happened back in the day.
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As a former bar manager in the 1980s I can assure you this had been happening forever. The only difference: they would come back in two days, not a couple hours.
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Interesting, what’s next “protection money” and free meals for the best cops? Your wish has been granted, we are like the bigger cities.
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I can assure you that they don’t run this scam on Anson 11 or la Madeleine Country French Cafe.
Just a few weeks ago, I saw a group of about eight inspectors having a long fun lunch at Pei Wei. I guess it was a coincidence that they all just happened to be in the same neighborhood right at lunch time. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were eating free.
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In Juarez, they would call them “sicarios” and the fee would be called a “cuota.”
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Sounds like an investigative reporting opportunity for the Times. (snicker, snicker)
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The “shake down” economy. You could call El Paso “North Juarez” and not be too far off the mark. I wonder if corruption is on Gonzalez’s to-do list? It seems he has taken a shot at politically correct revenue estimating, so maybe.
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Based on the new CM’s history in Irving, he does like the perks of office and might be inclined to reciprocate when he gets what he wants. One also has to wonder about the sensibility of a new city manager who insists on hiring a chief of staff in the middle of a budget crisis. We’ll soon know whether he checked his ego at the city limits.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Criminal-complaint-filed-against-Irving-City-Manager-189269561.html
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He’ll fit right in here:)
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You know all they have to do is keep the restaurant clean. They know whats on the inspection sheet. They know what they are supposed to do but they don’t do it. If they can’t keep the restaurant clean and follow food handling rules they should be give a second chance to correct the problems. They should be shut down.
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Yes, we deserve better!
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This has been going on forever…as a former Roto-Rooter employee in the early 80’s I could tell a few stories that would make you NEVER eat in some restaurants ever again. I won’t!
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This is why Health Inspectors are so strict.
http://news.yahoo.com/chemical-filled-tea-burns-woman-utah-restaurant-040204661.html
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