The restaurant health inspection world is a strange one. Especially in Tucson. While things are generally straightforward up north in greater Phoenix, where there are very specific guidelines as to how a restaurant receives a grade (or doesn’t), in Tucson, things are more wishy-washy. As if it’s up to the inspector’s discretion to decide. Some restaurants here receive 3 violations with a “Needs Improvement” tag slapped on it. And then there are other restaurants such as a prominent local steakhouse, that received 9 violations but was given a “Satisfactory” grade. Hard to say why a restaurant with one-third of the violations received a worse rating, but regardless, the “Satisfactory” steakhouse needs improvement.
On October 7, a restaurant inspector stopped by Sullivan’s Steakhouse at 1785 East River Road. It received four 4 Core violations and 5 Priority/Priority Foundation (the 3-violation restaurant were all Core). During the inspection, it was found the facility’s handwashing sink did not have soap stocked. The staff said bartenders would go to the kitchen to wash their hands, though one might question the likelihood of such an individual returning to the kitchen every time they needed to wash.