Restaurant inspections; what does it take?

When I read the results of the “Restaurant Inspections” and see the large numbers of violations likely to cause food-borne illnesses, I can’t help but wonder what it takes to shut an establishment down?

It seems counter-intuitive to inspect, find serious violations, proceed to the next place for inspection and then list the results in the paper. Is the health department’s mission to protect the public? Or just report its findings days after inspections and hope wise readers will take caution? At what point do food safety risks matter? A score of 100? 1,000? I want to know my food is safely prepared. Unfortunately, I have no guarantees. And the inspection process is as much a violation as a high red score.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Restaurant inspections; what does it take?."