Every year, 5,000 public health inspections are carried out at restaurants and other food-serving businesses around Waterloo Region.
The vast majority of them turn up no signs of wrongdoing.
When health code violations are found, common responses from inspectors can include issuing tickets or ordering that the infraction be addressed.
In the most extreme cases, an inspector can order a restaurant to close.
That happened four times in the region in the last three months of 2016.
Restaurants closed down during that period include Modern India on King Street East in Kitchener, Golden Turtle on King Street West in Kitchener, Funny BBQ on Laurelwood Drive in Waterloo, and a hot dog cart at the Canadian Tire store on Pinebush Road in Cambridge.
“Modern India was closed due to a pest infestation – namely, cockroaches. Golden Turtle was closed for similar reasons,” Aldo Franco, the region’s manager of health protection and investigation, said in an interview.
“Funny BBQ was closed due to a plumbing issue that caused backup of wastewater into the kitchen area.”
In the hot dog cart’s case, Franco says, there was no running water – which meant that its operator couldn’t wash their hands or utensils.
All four reopened less than a week later, having satisfied health inspectors that they had dealt with the sanitary issues.
With reporting by Leena Latafat
