Business & Tech

Local Eateries Cited by Health Inspectors

According to data supplied by the New York State Health Department, more than 100 local eateries in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties were cited for "critical violations" during the most recent recorded inspection.

Correction: The IHOP in Mohegan Lake received no critical violations during its last inspection by health officials, which took place on Sept. 12, 2013, according to state records. The data on the map was downloaded Jan. 7 and cites an earlier inspection.

More than than 100 food service establishments  in the region were cited for "critical violations" during inspection by health inspectors.

Collected from the “Health Data NY” section of the New York “Open Data Portal,” the searchable map above includes food service establishments in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester Counties that were cited for “critical violations” during inspection by the state health department.

You can zoom in and out of the map and click on an orange bubble for basic information about the food service establishment cited, including its name, date of inspection and specifics of the violation or violations cited.

Some of the citations available from the Health Department date back to early 2013; some restaurants have had subsequent inspections. The state updates the database frequently.

For example, Greg DeMarco, for six years an owner at Rye Roadhouse (which has received four star ratings on Yelp and Trip Advisor), told Patch that the critical violation cited in April was for a single cracked egg on a flat of eggs in the restaurant’s walkthrough.

“By the book, that is considered a critical violation and it was an oversight on our part that happened during the normal course of business that morning,” DeMarco said. “We are committed to cleanliness and food safety. It’s a top priority. This hasn’t been an issue for us in the past and we don’t expect it to be an issue going forward."

It hasn’t been.

Records show that the most recent inspection at Rye Roadhouse, on Dec. 30, yielded zero critical violations.

In New York, the State Department of Health's Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection “works to protect the public health by assuring that food service establishments are operated in a manner that eliminates hazards through design and management, resulting in a decreased incidence of foodborne illness in our communities,” according to the agency’s website.

Across more than 90,000 food service establishments statewide, the bureau’s “Food Protection Program” guides county and city health officials who permit and inspect food service establishments, the agency says.

The bureau maintains Part 14 of the New York State Sanitary Code, including subpart 14-1 which regulates food service establishments. See this subsection for specifics on inspections.




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