INTERACTIVE: Worcester Restaurant Health Inspection Tracker

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Kate Nagle; Interactive by GoLocal Technologist Chris Sperandio

Before you go out to dinner, make sure you know about the cleanliness of the establishment. GoLocalWorcester spent weeks going through the files of every health inspection in Worcester for nearly 700 restaurants. Use our proprietary interactive map to check any restaurant before you go out to eat. If "What's for Dinner?" is a question either you - or a spouse, or kids -- constantly pose, you know that your options often boil to two simple choices -- eating in, or eating out. Perhaps you have a favorite restaurant, or else are up for trying something new. Do you know, however, how well they did on their latest health inspection report with the City of Worcester? Recently, GoLocal reported on the 50 Restaurants with the Worst Health Code Scores in Worcester and talked with experts about inspections -- and foodborne illnesses.

Restaurant Inspections: What the Map Details

GoLocal's interactive map includes the health inspections of each restaurant, as recorded and stored on paper in file cabinets in the Department of Inspections at 25 Meade Street. This information is now at your fingertips, and has been recently enhanced to provide you with additional details from those reports, so you can learn more. You can search by clicking on the map, or Each establishment starts with a score of 100, then gets points deducted by inspectors for a range of violations if detected, which vary by level infraction. Whether it's reporting insufficient hand washing facilities and procedures, to cross contamination or improper food storage, to cleanliness of the facility -- or lack thereof -- the inspection reports detail the violations found Like a school report, 100 is the best, "top grade", which for a restaurant means no violations were found. A score of 95 means 5 points were taken off for infractions, and is a better score than an 85, which translates to fifteen points having been deduction for infractions of health code.

Public Health Information -- More Transparency Needed?

Former Mayor and Worcester City Council member Connie Lukes said she wanted the city to take additional steps to make health information -- and restaurant inspection results -- available to the public. "I've asked the administration to look into providing letter grades for food establishments, like they have in New York and other big cities around the country," Lukes told GoLocal. "Not everyone reads the internet. This way they'll see the restaurant's grade displayed prominently." "I was raised working in my family's restaurant, my husband was raised in his family's diner....we know how hard it is to operate any eatery," said Lukes. "You have to follow strict business and food service protocols. And it's more difficult than it looks."

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