A Honolulu restaurant was red-placarded this week after inspectors found raw sewage backed up onto the kitchen floor, which should be more than enough to get anyone’s attention. But when we searched Hawaii’s official food safety inspection website for the restaurant, Grace’s Inn, we could not find it at all. That was until we started trying variations of the name and found it under Graces Inn, without the apostrophe.
The only reason we knew about the closure was that the Hawaii Department of Health issued a press release. That is the part Hawaii visitors should understand, because the state announcement said a restaurant had been closed, while the restaurant inspection tool did not show it when we looked for it under its official name, Grace’s Inn.
A plate lunch spot people have trusted for decades just got shut down.
The Department of Health said Grace’s Inn LSY, at 1296 S. Beretania St. in Honolulu, was issued a red placard on June 1 after a follow-up inspection found a critical food safety violation. The agency said the plumbing system was not being maintained in good repair and that raw sewage had backed up onto the kitchen floor.
DOH said the restaurant must remain closed until a licensed plumber assesses and repairs the plumbing system, all critical violations are corrected, and a follow-up inspection clears the restaurant to reopen safely. Those closure facts come from DOH, and that is the only outside source we are relying on for this article…