Louisville, KY (WDRB) We're heading into one of the hottest times of the year not just for retailers, but for restaurants. And, the Metro Health department has made another big change in how it grades the places you eat. One of those changes is giving you information that some businesses would rather you not see.
These days the only B's greeting customers at Bourbons Bistro are on the sign. For six months, there was also one on its health inspection placard, which has now been replaced with an A. Owner Jason Brauner says it was the first time he'd gotten anything but an A in 20 years. Brauner says, "I was devastated."
The Metro Health Department cited Bourbons for a pair of critical violations. One of those... a new employee left an open drink near a fryer. The other, the inspector says the dishwasher sanitizer didn't meet specifications, which Brauner disputes. Before this year, he could've gotten his A back when the inspector returned a week later when he got a 93-percent. But, this time, he was stuck with a B.
That's because in January, the health department adopted a new policy-- any restaurant that gets anything but an A during its first inspection could get no better than a B after its re-inspection no matter how high it scores. Jason Brauner estimates that B cost him a 20-percent drop in business. WDRB's David Scott asked Brauner, "Did you have people actually walk up to your door, see that B and walk away?" Brauner says, "I did. And, you'd get comments on the internet, some of the forums that were out there."
And, the same thing happened across the city-- a veritable bevy of B's at some of Louisville most popular restaurants. In fact, there was a nearly 500 percent increase from the first 8 months of last year to the same period this year, at places like Cumberland Brews, Fleur De Lis Cafe and Macaroni Grill and Mimi's Cafe on Hurstbourne Parkway.
The Metro Health Department's Gretchen Boyd says, "Our intent was not to ever financially or physically ever hurt a facility. So, we wanted to make sure that we were really effectively protecting public health, as well as educating the public or making dining choices, rather than just hurting a restaurant. "
So, in September, the Health Department made another change. Now, restaurants will either get an A or a C on their first inspection. And, like the old policy, those that fail the first time, can get their A back on their re-inspection. If they fail then or their next regular inspection, then they get a B that stays for half a year. But, the Health Department has also lowered the score restaurants need to get an A... from 90 to 85 percent.
David Scott asks Boyd, "You can see how somebody might say, though, that the A's don't mean as much, because you can get one at 85-percent, where as you could get one at 90-percent before?" Boyd says, "Those violations are actually weighed heavier than they used to be. So, at this point, at 85 could be equivalent to a 90, such as it was on the last system. They might have minor violations, but those are not the leading risk factors what would cause a food-bourne illness. Those facilities that are earning C's at this point are the ones that have those critical violations."
You might be saying, this is still a raw deal for consumers, because now people can walk into a restaurant with an A that just days before had a C... and know nothing about it. The Health Department has that covered, with yet another change. The new placards have a pair of extra squares. In there, you'll find the scores of a restaurant's two previous inspections. "So, you're going to see how a facility has conducted their business over time," says Boyd.
Jason Brauner says he's happy the Health Department changed its policy, helping to get that coveted A back. He just wonders how long it will take his business to recover from when he had a B. Jason says, "It's tough, we'll see. It's day to day. We've got a lot of catching up to do."
Depending on the restaurant you go to, you might find "N-A" or not available in those extra boxes. The Metro Health Department did that for the first couple of weeks after it changed its placards, but it's putting actual scores in those boxes now.
You can find any restaurant's past scores, however, by clicking here.
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