How to Read A Restaurant Inspection

Summit County Health Department generally inspects restaurants twice a year. A report is completed and if there are items that are non-compliant they are supposed to be corrected. In some cases, a follow-up inspection will be required. It is important to note that these inspections are a “point-in-time” inspection. A few days, weeks, or months later inspections reports may no longer be valid. However, as of that day, the report is what they found.

As you read each report, you will see four sections:

• Compliance: The restaurant will either be IN compliance, OUT of compliance, an item was not observed (N/O) or Not Applicable (N/A)
• Good Retail Practices: These are good things that the Health Department found
• Temperature Observations: These are temperatures of various food measured (cooked and uncooked)
• Observations and Corrective Actions: Provides more information about non-compliant items

For more information about what is important, we’ll point you to a Food Service Warehouse educational document:

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/product-safety-public-health/things-health-inspectors-look-for/c28161.aspx