On any given day at a restaurant, staff know that a Maricopa County Health Inspector could show up unannounced. The unscheduled nature of health inspections inspires restaurant owners to keep their kitchens clean and ready. It also allows inspectors to gain an honest look at how a restaurant operates its kitchen on a day-to-day basis.
During their visits, restaurant inspectors check everything from equipment functionality to staff cleanliness. When issues arise in the kitchen, inspectors note them down in their inspection reports, which are available to the public in a searchable online database.
Issues get ranked on two levels: violations and priority violations. The former are issues that could lead to a larger problem. For example, a lack of soap could cause improper hand washing. Priority violations are major issues that pose a direct threat to the health and safety of customers or employees…