What Is a Point of Focus During Restaurant Health Inspections?

Health inspections play a critical role in maintaining food safety standards in restaurants.

The point of focus during these inspections typically revolves around key areas such as proper time and temperature control, employee hygiene, and pest control.

But is it just one of these or a combination of all?

What is the point of focus during health inspections: proper time and temperature control, employee hygiene, pest control, or all of the above?

The point of focus during health inspections is all of these areas: proper time and temperature control, employee hygiene, and pest control. Effective management in each of these domains helps ensure that restaurants consistently meet food safety regulations, protect public health, and avoid penalties or closures.

Let's take a close look at how this multi-faceted focus ensures a safe and sanitary environment that prevents contamination and reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses.

1. Proper Time and Temperature Control

Time and temperature control is one of the primary focuses during routine inspections because it directly impacts food safety. Perishable foods must be stored, prepared, and served within correct temperature ranges to prevent bacterial growth. Improper time and temperature control is a leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. Inspectors will check:

• If hot foods are held above 60°C (140°F) and cold foods below 4°C (40°F).
• Freezer temperatures are at or below -18°C (0°F).
• Food is cooled and reheated according to guidelines.
• Cooking temperatures are sufficient to kill harmful bacteria (e.g., 165°F/74°C for cooked foods).

This level of scrutiny ensures that the restaurant adheres to the first-in, first-out (FIFO) storage method, avoids the danger zone, and follows proper cooling and reheating procedures.

2. Employee Hygiene

Another vital focus is employee hygiene, as food handlers are a direct link between the food served and potential contamination risks. Inspectors closely monitor whether employees are practicing good hygiene, which includes:

• Wearing clean uniforms and appropriate hair restraints.
• Keeping jewelry to a minimum to avoid physical contaminants.
• Following hand-washing protocols with designated stations equipped with soap, warm water, and disposable towels.
• Ensuring ill employees do not work, as they can spread illness, especially if handling food.

Poor personal hygiene practices can lead to cross-contamination, so maintaining these standards is not just a regulation — it's essential for the customer safety.

3. Pest Control

No one wants to dine in a restaurant infested with pests, and neither do health inspectors want to see signs of pest control issues. Pests like rodents, insects, and birds can carry harmful pathogens, leading to contamination. Inspectors look for:

• Signs of pest activity (droppings, nests, or live pests).
• Well-sealed doors and windows to prevent entry.
• Proper food storage practices that minimize pest attraction.
• A clean and organized garbage disposal system, as poor waste management invites pests.

Having a pest management program in place is crucial to maintaining regulatory compliance and keeping the establishment safe and clean.

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What are restaurant health inspections?

Restaurant health inspections are official examinations carried out by local or state health authorities to ensure food establishments adhere to food safety regulations.

These inspections help protect the public from foodborne illnesses by checking compliance with regulations for hygiene, food handling practices, storage, and preparation practices. Inspections can be routine or occur as a result of complaints or suspected violations.

Are local health departments responsible for restaurant inspections?

Yes, local health departments are responsible for conducting restaurant inspections. However, they often follow guidelines and regulations (e.g., food code requirements) established by federal bodies like the FDA and USDA to ensure consistency across different regions.

How often can a local health inspector enter your restaurant to inspect you?

Health inspections typically occur at least once per year, but this frequency can vary based on the establishment’s risk category.

According to the Food Safety Modernization Act, inspections are mandated at a frequency of one or more times every three years for domestic high-risk facilities. For non-high-risk facilities, the frequency is just once every five years, at least.

In Canada on the other hand, restaurants are classified as:

• High risk: Facilities that handle raw meat, have foods with many preparation steps, have a history of violations, or serve a large number of patrons, especially those which include more vulnerable populations. High-risk restaurants typically receive more frequent inspections.
• Moderate risk: Facilities that prepare hazardous foods or non-hazardous foods with extensive handling or high volume.
• Low risk: Facilities that do not prepare hazardous foods or ones that serve prepackaged hazardous foods.

That said, inspections may also occur to restaurants in any classification if a complaint is filed or if a food safety agency suspects a foodborne illness outbreak.

What will the local regulatory authority look for during an inspection?

Although health inspections may differ slightly based on the type of restaurant and previous issues, certain core areas are always covered:

• Food temperature control
• Proper food storage and preparation
• Employee hygiene
• Equipment cleanliness and maintenance
• Building cleanliness
• Waste management
• Pest control

What is included in the restaurant health inspection process?

Food temperature control

Food inspectors verify that food is stored, cooked, and held at acceptable food temperatures to prevent bacteria growth. Critical temperatures include:

• Cooked food: 165°F (74°C)
• Hot holding foods: Above 140°F (60°C)
• Cold holding foods: Below 40°F (4°C)
• Freezers: 0°F (-18°C)

Proper thermometers must be used, and food should not be left out for long periods.

Food storage and preparation

Food storage practices must prevent cross-contamination. Key food safety practices include:

• Labeling and dating food
• Keeping raw meats below ready-to-eat foods
• Using separate utensils for raw and cooked items
• Storing food at least six inches off the ground

Employee hygiene

Inspectors check for compliance with hygiene protocols such as:

• Clean clothing, minimal jewelry, and proper hair restraints
• Accessible handwashing stations with soap and towels
• Sick employees must not handle food

Equipment cleanliness and maintenance

Food contact surfaces and food service equipment must be clean and well-maintained:

• No cracks or damage
• Washed and sanitized properly, per manufacturer instructions
• Checked for functionality (e.g., refrigeration units)

Building cleanliness and maintenance

The facility itself must be in good condition:

• Floors, walls, and ceilings should be clean and intact
• Proper lighting and ventilation are essential
• Washrooms must be stocked with necessary supplies

Waste management

Proper waste disposal prevents odor, pest infestations, and contamination:

• Garbage must be taken out regularly
• Containers must be sealed and pest-proof

Pest control

Keeping the restaurant pest-free is crucial. Inspectors ensure pest control measures are in place, such as:

• Sealing any potential entry points
• Maintaining cleanliness to avoid attracting pests

Download the free health inspection checklist

For restaurant owners seeking to stay on top of health inspection readiness, FoodDocs offers a free customizable restaurant health inspection checklist that simplifies compliance and ensures no critical areas are overlooked.

Use FoodDocs to ensure you always pass restaurant health inspections

Whether it's a numeric or letter-grading scale, FoodDocs will help you ace your restaurant health inspections with its fast setup process, easy-to-use food safety system, and detailed records.

Digitize restaurant health inspection checklists

After setting up your food safety monitoring system, a digital health inspection checklist is one of the automatically generated items you'll get. It comes equipped with the most common health inspection tasks by default. But you can easily customize any items as needed based on your restaurant's specific needs.

Real-time overview to save time from supervision

Our food safety software features a real-time dashboard that gives you an overview of your restaurant locations' compliance progress. This feature helps managers identify which areas are non-compliant and address them promptly.

The team can use information from the dashboard to develop better strategies that fulfill health inspection checklist tasks in the future.

Michael Worbanski is the Human Resources and Operations Safety Specialist at Terroni, a North American multi-location restaurant group. He said:

The value FoodDocs has added to our company goes well beyond the hours saved daily for our teams through streamlining daily monitoring activities and processes! Everything we use FoodDocs for, including our own recordkeeping, helps ensure we always maintain best practices. FoodDocs makes the inspections easier for us because all the data is stored in one location.

Use step-by-step instructions to ensure consistency and compliance

From restaurant health inspection checklists to any other monitoring tasks, step-by-step instructions are built into the tasks to help train and remind food handlers how to complete them.

You can also add images or videos to model exactly how to perform sanitation practices, for example, or how properly stored food items should look.

Frequently asked questions about restaurant health inspections