Q:
We know that, as in many cities, Las Vegas restaurants are routinely expected by the Health Department, and we've seen letter grades posted in individual restaurants. Is there an online listing for all restaurants in the area showing inspection scores and reports.
A:
You're correct in your statement that Las Vegas restaurants are routinely (but randomly) inspected by the Health Department. Here's a link to the Clark County Health District Regulations Regarding the Sanitation of Food Establishments, which cover everything from food preparation and storage to personnel hygiene to vermin control -- and a great deal more in between.
The Food Establishment Plan View, which is the division of the Health Department responsible for carrying out inspections, does not post the results online; however, the Las Vegas Review-Journal does, every Wednesday, in its Restaurant Report, where you can see who's been downgraded recenty and why, plus who was previously downgraded and has now been reinspected.
The last time we logged on (see link), there were slapped wrists for everything from egg rolls being "improperly double stacked in the fridge" to poor staff hand-washing practices to dirty chopping boards. The article explains the "demerit" system -- if an establishment receives more than 40 demerits, as two did in this instance, it's immediately shut down.
Update 04 February 2010
On the subject of safety inspections, following a series of high-profile scandals in which building code violations were found at a number of Las Vegas hotel-casinos, Clark County has a new system (introduced in late 2008), unique in the nation, for monitoring existing resorts. To date, the program has checked out nine properties on the Strip, seven off-Strip properties, the Gold Strike in Jean, and Buffalo Bill's in Primm and found almost 8,000 code violations, with the most serious either corrected the same day or else the area in question taken out of operation until the problem had been rectified.
Click here for the
R-J's feature on this subject.
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