Plan Would Serve Up Restaurant Inspection Details

As an alternative to restaurant letter grades, Ventura County health officials are developing a program that would give potential diners more details about an eatery’s cleanliness.

Under the proposed voluntary program, restaurants could opt to display prominently in their windows a seal from the health department that would list the date of the establishment’s last inspection and highlights of what--if anything--was found, said Elizabeth Huff of the county’s Environmental Health Department.

These signs would also tell customers that they could be given a copy of the full inspection report, but it would not include any letter or numerical rating.

Huff, the department’s manager for community services, said the program would be voluntary until state legislation passed earlier this year takes effect in 2002, making the posting of inspection information mandatory.

“Voluntary compliance works, and I think people will be proud to post the notice in their windows,” said John Zaruka, who owns Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura and is a board member of the California Restaurant Assn. “We are going to encourage our membership to participate.”

Zaruka said he believes health department letter-grade systems, like those used in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, are arbitrary.

Earlier this year, Thousand Oaks City Councilman Dan Del Campo and the Ventura County Grand Jury recommended health officials explore an A, B and C grading system. County supervisors considered a similar idea two years ago, but it was voted down 4 to 1.

The new concept already appears more palatable to some restaurateurs than the letter-grade system.

“With letter grades, the inspector can walk out, then something could happen that would be devastating to the health and welfare of the customer, but that ‘A’ is still going to be in the window,” said Dixie Vollmer, owner of the Plug Nickel restaurant in Thousand Oaks and president of the association’s local chapter, which includes 66 eateries. “It’s one moment in time.”

Health department officials recently presented the proposal to the Ventura Council of Governments--representing the county’s 10 cities--and the restaurant association. In the next few months, they will take it to the Board of Supervisors, which is expected to approve the proposal.

Del Campo brought the issue of a countywide restaurant grading system to the Council of Governments in April after a survey indicated 65% of Thousand Oaks residents would be interested in seeing letter grades posted outside local eateries. He said he doesn’t think the proposed voluntary program goes far enough and hopes to revisit the grading concept.

Huff, however, said she believes the voluntary program will be more effective and will give diners more information. Though they have yet to work out the details, health officials want to create an easily visible sign that will list any violations in simple language.

“This will have the date of inspection, what types of violations you have and what date we’ll be back to check it,” she said. “It will be quick and easy, so you can look at this and make an informed choice if you want to eat there.”

She added that county residents can feel safe eating at local restaurants, because any found unsafe are closed down. A list of weekly restaurant closures is available on the department’s Web site at https://www.ventura.org/env_hlth/closure.htm.

The Council of Governments endorsed the health department’s latest proposal and asked that department officials report back on its progress within a year.

Despite general agreement among association members, individual restaurant owners around the county had varying opinions on the rating issue.

Paul Miller, owner of Anacapa Brewing Co. in downtown Ventura, said he will participate in the voluntary program but supports the idea of letter grades, as well.

“A lot of people base their decisions to eat somewhere based on businesses receiving A’s,” Miller said. “If people are following food service rules, they should have nothing to worry about.”

Francisco Arceo, general manager at Roxy’s Famous Deli on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, said he would prefer being issued a letter grade because it leaves off specific information.

He said he fears minor violations could look worse on paper to customers.

“It all depends on what the inspector finds and what they write,” he said.

Noella Belvedere, who has owned Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant in Camarillo with her husband for 32 years, agreed. She said health inspectors often try to find anything that could be a violation, even if the restaurant is generally clean.

“The customer may not know how a restaurant works, and they might take it worse than it really is,” she said. “You could end up hurting some of the smaller, independent restaurants.”

Beginning a letter-grade system would require Ventura County to pass an ordinance and ask all 10 cities to approve the same law. Huff said more than half of the cities in Los Angeles County do not participate in that program.

That is why Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels, who ardently opposed instituting a letter-grade system, said this voluntary program will work better.

“Any time you start a volunteer program that involves the public and public health, it becomes important to the businessman to participate,” she said. “My discomfort with the letter grades is that it can give people a false sense of security.”

While she agreed it has taken too long for the county to implement some kind of public information system, she said she doesn’t think restaurant grading is a high-profile issue.

But Supervisor Frank Schillo, who supports Del Campo’s push for a grading system, said he doesn’t think a voluntary approach makes sense and thinks letter grades are simpler and better understood.

“If you start getting into the details, people may not want to eat at all that day,” he said. “I don’t know why we’re fighting this in the county. People are moving here from places where they have this rating system and they want to see it here.”