A number of eating establishments in Waterloo Region are skipping some of the most critical steps when it comes to preparing your meal safely. And they're getting fined, sometimes more than once, for cutting corners that could affect your health.

So when you go out to fulfill your mid-day hunger pangs, are you getting more than what's offered on the menu?

Waterloo Region Public Health records show restaurants in the region have been cited for everything from cockroaches, to employees not washing their hands, and overall dirty conditions.

Paul Norman is a public health inspector, he says a some critical infractions "could be cause for closing a place on the spot." But it could also just require the establishment to take immediate action.

China Fried Rice in downtown Kitchener was closed in October after a public health inspector found evidence of a cockroach infestation.

One employee, who didn't want to give his name, says "Just last week he found some dead cockroaches, he said that is no good." He adds the issue was in the public washroom, but he hadn't noticed the problem before.

The restaurant has since been given a clean bill of health and approval to re-open. But it's likely not the worst offender.

Norman says "Some folks, I hate to say it, it seems like they just don't care."

In the roughly 2,000 food premises in Waterloo Region, including full menu restaurants, fast food spots and bakeries, inspectors recorded more than 2,629 critical infractions in 2009.

Critical infractions are those that can pose an immediate health hazard, like food kept at unsafe temperatures, dishwashers not working properly and employees not washing their hands after handling raw food.

Chris Komorowski, manager of Waterloo Region's Environmental Health Department says "If somebody consumes that, you know they can't see it, they can't smell it, and a couple of days later they can become ill."

There were also more than 4,000 non-critical infractions in 2009 according to public documents. That includes problems like not taking out the garbage, failing to use hair nets and poor housekeeping.

The region says it attempts to educate the owners of eating establishments first, and usually issues fines only when warnings are repeatedly ignored.

In the past three years, almost 90 fines have been handed out in the region. Closures have been ordered at 11 restaurants, with most re-opening within days after infractions were corrected.

Yet there are still repeat offenders. Mei King in Kitchener has been charged on more than one occasion in the last three years.

Owner Ying Chau says the 2009 charge was for preparing food on pieces of cardboard, rather than the stainless steel counter.

She says "We just feel the customer can have more warm food, but the health department say no."

The other two charges, laid in May 2010, were for "unsanitary and dirty conditions" and failing to properly separate raw and cooked food.

But Chau says they've cleaned up and laid off one employee since the charges, as well as making a number of other changes.

Dragon City Chinese Restaurant has also been charged on more than one occasion. In 2008 it was for using cracked utensils and failing to protect food from contamination and then in 2010 for unsafe food temperatures.

Modern India is also on the list of repeat offenders, for poor housekeeping in 2008, and then again 15 months later for the same reason and for unsanitary practices.

The owners of both restaurants say the problems have since been corrected, but Dragon City is also considering disputing the charges because it felt the inspector was ‘too picky.'

Coming Up Wednesday: Meghan Furman finds out how often food establishments are being inspected, if requirements are being met and why some inspectors say the system is falling behind.