Maricopa restaurant inspections available now online

Obviously, no one wants a “dirty dining” experience. In Pinal County five field inspectors canvass various eating establishments, including those in Maricopa, in an effort to check the cleanliness of each restaurant. The goal is to safeguard the public.

Is your favorite restaurant in Pinal County rated an “S,” “E,” “N” or “U”?

You can find out how Pinal County Environmental Health inspectors rated your favorite restaurant, or any establishment that handles food, on the county’s website.

“The complexity of the food prepared in an establishment and the type of population they serve dictates how many times a year they are inspected, which could be up to three times a year,” commented Environmental Health’s Food Program Manager Ralph Bustamante.

Every restaurant in Maricopa and in Pinal County receives a grade from field inspectors who hope they don’t find any critical violations.

Bustamante added that people can check out the department’s website for the grade the restaurant was given by the inspector. Grades are either an “E” for excellent, “S” for satisfactory, “N” for needs improvement or “U” for unacceptable. If a restaurant receives an “E,” it had no critical items found. “We are always hoping that we will not find any critical items during an inspection,” he said.

If any critical items are found, according to Bustamante, the restaurant is informed about how to improve – for the safety of the eating public.

“The idea of putting the information on the web is to protect the public,” the Food Program Manager said. “We receive comments from citizens all the time – typically positive. Our job is to protect the public health, so if we can make their job easier, to make an informed decision, the better.”