Do our NJ Restaurants Pass the Inspectors Test?

When we go out to eat, it should be a given that the place we choose is both healthy and safe, right?

However, we've all been to some skeevy places that just have us saying, "No way this passes a health inspection."

I was in one of 'those' places on a trip out of town; once I walked in with my wife, we noticed right away that the standards were pretty low. Then I saw a failing grade posted in the window, which cemented our plans to 'keep it moving'.

With that, it just got me wondering about how things looked in our own backyard.

As you may already know, health inspectors routinely visit restaurants, conducting unannounced inspections to make sure that everything is in good condition.

Not surprisingly, our local establishments appeared to be in good shape -- at least for this round of posted inspections that I could see with my five-minute Google search. I saw all but six places received passing 'satisfactory' ratings.

According to the health inspector's definitions, "satisfactory" means that establishments are in substantial compliance with State Health Codes.

The six that didn't receive satisfactory ratings were still considered "conditionally satisfactory," meaning they need "improvement in several areas as determined by the licensed inspector and interpretation of the State Health Codes. A time limit is set for the establishment to come into compliance, and a re-inspection is done to ensure this compliance."

For those with 'conditional' grades, I could see in the comment sections things like fixing washing stations, repairing leaky freezers, or addressing buckling ceiling panels. I'm not in the restaurant business, but those seem pretty simple to get fixed or repaired.

I think the best thing about looking at the reports is that none of the restaurants that were listed in the latest updates received an 'unsatisfactory rating' - meaning that it would be truly a health risk -- with them being forced to close until the issues are handled.

If you're curious to see how your favorite spots look, you can see the latest reports here for Monmouth County and here for Ocean County.