I’m not writing this as a reporter.
I’m writing this as a chef.
I’ve spent years running kitchens, managing food safety programs, training employees, and dealing with health inspections. I’ve been the person responsible for the score when the inspector leaves the building.
And I’ll be honest:
I think anything below a 90 is embarrassing.
Some restaurant owners won’t like hearing that.
I don’t particularly care.
The restaurants below recently received the following inspection scores:
| Restaurant | Score |
|---|---|
| K-Bop | 57 |
| Musashino Sushi Dokoro | 58 |
| Dumpling World | 60 |
| WakeSurf Saloon | 60 |
| Desilicious Cafe | 62 |
Those aren’t “oops” scores.
Those aren’t “the inspector got us on technicalities” scores.
Those are scores that make me wonder what was happening in that kitchen before the inspector ever walked through the door.
One thing the public doesn’t always realize is that inspectors don’t walk in looking to fail restaurants.
Most of what they’re checking is basic stuff.
Food temperatures.
Cross contamination.
Handwashing.
Sanitation.
Employee practices.
The fundamentals.
The same fundamentals that should be happening whether an inspector is there or not.
I’ve heard every excuse in the book over the years.
“We were short staffed.”
“The manager called in sick.”
“Our cooler broke.”
“We got slammed.”
Welcome to the restaurant business.
Every restaurant gets slammed.
Every restaurant has staffing problems.
Every restaurant has equipment failures.
The restaurants that take food safety seriously figure it out anyway.
That’s the job.
Personally, if I was responsible for a kitchen that scored an 89, I’d be disappointed.
An 85 would have me irritated.
An 80 would have me asking serious questions.
A score in the 50s or low 60s?
That’s not a rough day.
That’s a kitchen that has lost control of the basics.
And before anybody says I’m being too harsh, understand that I hold my own kitchens to the exact same standard.
Food safety isn’t where I believe restaurants deserve grace.
Not when customers are trusting you with something they’re literally putting into their bodies.
At Risky Bites, we’re not here to protect restaurant owners from uncomfortable scores.
We’re here to show the public what the health department found.
You can decide for yourself what a 57 means.
I already know what I think.
Follow-Up Pending
I’ve requested the full inspection reports behind these scores.
The grades are public.
Now I want to see the deductions.
Once the records are released, I’ll review the violations and publish a follow-up covering exactly what inspectors found, what contributed to these scores, and whether the findings point to isolated issues or larger operational problems.