Restaurant Inspections Could Be Posted on Lewiston’s City Website

WGME, Channel 13 already sort of does this on Thursday nights with their ‘Restaurant Report.' The city of Lewiston may post restaurant inspections on their website. City councilors like the idea, but it will go to a public hearing before a vote.

When I go out to eat I always wonder what’s going on behind the swinging doors. I’d like to think that the vast majority of restaurants are clean.

I’m sure most are cleaner and are safer than many of our own homes, but still you don’t want to think nasty thoughts while you’re out.

I’ve worked in a few kitchens, in my day and back in the late 80s. I remember some things that went down that would make you think twice about eating somewhere.

Primarily, I saw the wait staff eating the discarded leftovers off of customers’ plates once they were brought back into the kitchen and smoking on the dirty side of the dish pit, but this was 1988.

Working in fast food in the same era, things were cleaner. I’ll bet the corporate standards were higher than the previous restaurant’s owner I worked for. In fast food, all of the metal surfaces that food touched had to be sanitized on a constant (daily) basis and kept clean throughout the day.

Anyway, would these places have passed? I’m not sure. Times and expectations have changed over the years. Maybe back then, but today?

Would I want to see my favorite restaurant’s inspection listed on a city website? I’ll say, yes, but for the sake of livelihoods and honesty, this information needs to be updated with the re-checks and fixes added very quickly.