Rodents, a hot-water tank failure, and failing to comply with inspection orders.
While for people who eat out at restaurants on a regular basis, some of these problems would be considered a nightmare, they’re also the type of infractions that can shut down a business.
In 2015, dozens of restaurants in Burnaby found themselves running afoul of health inspectors for a range of reasons, and were ordered to close up shop.
In some cases, the closures were just for a day, while at other times it was for a week or more.
Overall, Fraser Health issued 51 closure orders to 48 restaurants in Burnaby last year – the most closures out of any municipality in the Fraser Health region.
Timothy Millard, a health protection manager with the health authority, explained the inspection process to the NOW and what can ultimately lead to a closure.
He noted restaurants face routine inspection twice a year, and on a complaint basis.
Inspection officers are looking to make sure the eatery is complying with regulations, to point out any deficiencies and if there are, to assess whether they are critical or not.
It’s the critical violations that can eventually lead to a closure order.
Millard said critical violations are followed up within 30 days, and if the operator still hasn’t corrected the problem or changed behavior, the process will progress with a closure order as the last step.
“The goal is to help a restaurant owner offer safe food to the public,” he said, adding inspectors try to treat every restaurant in the region the same.
Millard did point out a couple of situations that will lead to an immediate closure: a hot water tank failure and a major rodent infestation.
And if a restaurant is re-opened, that means it’s in compliance.
The health authority also has the power to shut a restaurant permanently, but Millard only recalls a couple of instances over the years where that has happened.
In 2014, Mrs. Vanelli’s in Metrotown was shut down permanently after racking up dozens of violations.
But what most people really just want to know is whether their favourite joint is safe.
“Because we’re in them on such a regular basis, I would consider most restaurants safe to eat,” Millard said.
He also cautioned people not to read too much into the closure orders, which are posted online.
“What I tell people is, don’t base it on a single event. Look at the history,” he said.
Millard suggested if an establishment is getting a lot of “high” ratings in their inspection reports or are closed repeatedly, that would be a sign the restaurant might not be up to snuff.
Besides closures, inspectors can also levy fines at restaurants not following the rules.
In 2015, Fraser Health handed out 31 fines - in the range of $230 to $345 – to 19 restaurants in Burnaby.
Millard noted fines are typically issued to restaurants that have repeated violations, but before a closure order is given.
To view the inspection reports and closures, go to fraserhealth.ca or tinyurl.com/FHfoodsafety.
According to Fraser Health’s closure orders, a handful of restaurants appeared on the list more than once or found themselves closed for a number of days.
The Bubble Waffle Café at 4500 Kingsway was closed twice in 2015, for three days in March and another eight days at the end of June and beginning of July for a number of infractions including not being free of pests.
Several other restaurants at 4500 Kingsway, including Shanghai Elan Restaurant 168, S&W Pepper House, were also shut down at various times of the year over pest problems.
The longest closure was Top Gun Hot Pot, also at 4500 Kingsway, for 17 days for a couple infractions including not protecting food from contamination.
