Consumers hungry to know more about the health and safety records of their favourite eatery can find the information on the Region of Waterloo's Web site.
The most recent public health inspection reports are available online, and consumers can search for any of the roughly 2,200 food premises and find the thousands of infractions recorded over the last two years.
Public health inspector Paul Norman says "In the past they had to hope the inspectors were out there, now they can actually see our reports."
Chris Komorowski, manager of Environmental Health for Waterloo Region, says "There is more accountability, not just with the operators, but with the public health inspectors."
Right now, the Web site is one of the best ways to screen which restaurants you may want to visit, because you simply can't tell just by looking in the window.
Link to Region of Waterloo: Search for the record of your favourite establishment
While the City of Toronto requires restaurants to post colour-coded signs that reflect the latest inspection results, Waterloo Region's system does not.
In fact the region only requires a sign be posted when an establishment has been ordered to close, but even that isn't always happening.
"We have that in protocol, we have signs, we should be posting those signs," Komorowski says.
Details of infractions available online
At Checkerboard Restaurant in Kitchener, a public health inspection on October 18 found ungraded eggs that, if used, could have put customers' health at risk.
Ungraded eggs are those that have not gone through the proper cleaning and inspection process, which is a violation of Ontario's food safety laws.
This past spring, Vancouver health officials linked hundreds of cases of salmonella poisoning, some of which required hospitalization, to the use of ungraded eggs at restaurants.
Owner Bill Christu says he buys the ungraded eggs from the market when he runs out, but he adds "I'm not going to do it anymore."
The Waterloo Region Web site also lists the recent enforcement actions it has taken against food premises, so you can find out who is following the rules and who is cutting corners.
Link to Region of Waterloo: List of recently cited eateries
According to the site, Checkerboard Restaurant was cited for a number of infractions, including using ungraded eggs, improper handwashing and food not protected from contamination.
According to Waterloo Region, two other establishments have been closed in the last few days, Preston Towne Cinema for no hand-washing or dishwashing facilities and Buy Best Makka Halal Meat for overall unsanitary conditions, including the accumulation of dirt, grime and dirty food processing equipment.
But it could take up to five days for that information to be posted to the Region of Waterloo's Web site.
