BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — It can start with an unannounced visit or following a customer complaint.
Erie County Department of Health sanitarians conduct thousands of inspections each year. The inspection reports are public record. Among the findings in 2023 – rodents in kitchens, both living and dead, rodent droppings throughout facilities and live cockroaches.
“We try to find any potential problems before they get to be an issue where someone’s gonna get sick,” said Senior Public Health Sanitarian Greg Jacobs.
A 7 News I-Team analysis of food-safety inspections from establishments in Buffalo found more than 50 percent had one or no violations.
“I wouldn’t tell anybody ‘stay home, restaurants in Erie County aren’t safe,’ because that’s simply not true,” added Jacobs.
But our analysis also found some establishments received dozens of violations.
Inspectors Make Unappetizing Findings
They can range from minor infractions like no paper towels in a bathroom, to more egregious cases like a dead rat found in a kitchen just feet from where food is prepared and served to you.
New York State divides violations into two categories: critical and non-critical. Both include infractions that can contribute to or cause illness.
The I-Team pored over thousands of inspection reports from 2023. At the top of the list with the most cumulative violations in Buffalo was the now-closed Señor Tequila Mexican Restaurant on Pearl Street, which according to county records was cited 60 times before it closed this past summer.
In their reports, county inspectors found rodent droppings, flies and conditions that led to the risk of foodborne illness.
Several other businesses were cited multiple times for significant violations. At Hot Spot Pizza on Broadway, a live mouse was observed in the kitchen by inspectors. At Bacchus Wine Bar on Chippewa, inspectors spotted dead cockroaches throughout the restaurant. And at Acqua on Niagara Street, inspectors found a dead rat in the kitchen and rat droppings throughout the facility. Each of these establishments has since corrected those violations, according to county records.
In total, the I-Team discovered 17 establishments in Buffalo received 30 or more citations this past year.
County Health Department Emphasizes Education
“If you’re following generally good safety principles and practices then the inspection [...] we should welcome the inspectors and we should open up our doors and our arms and say absolutely come take a look at what we’re doing," said Patrick Guzzle, vice president of food science at the National Restaurant Association.
The association represents the interests of hundreds of thousands of restaurants nationwide. They say food safety inspectors should be viewed as partners, helping keep the doors open and customers safe. But a good inspection requires consistent compliance.
“If you think back to when we were in school, it’s kind of like trying to cram for an exam. You can’t really cram for that exam," Guzzle said.
The health department works with operators to correct any underlying problems. However, at least 45 penalties were handed out by the county in 2023. Thirteen were referred to hearings and 6 judgments were ordered against businesses in Erie County.
“I’ll be the first to tell you, I really don’t want your money," said Jacobs. "I would rather see an operator take any potential costs that they would pay to us for penalties and put it back into the restaurant.”
But still — the county reminds diners that an inspection is a snapshot in time, not necessarily an indicator of a businesses day-to-day performance.
“We understand that on a given day someone can have a bad day," added Jacobs.
It's a bad day that can leave an unappetizing blemish on your record.
To see the most recent violations and read the complete reports, visit the health department's website here.