Restaurant Inspections: Critical Violations at Local Hotels

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

In Fairfax County, inspectors from the Virginia Department of Health grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

• Learn more about the differences between critical and a non-critical violations here, as well as the differences between types of inspections.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long term cleanliness of an establishment."

The following restaurants in Fairfax City were most recently inspected by the Virginia Department of Health. The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

How this works: Click on the links to get the detailed report of inspection violations for each restaurant listed below.

Holiday Inn Express Fairfax

• Number of critical violations: 2
• Number of non-critical violations: 4

Critical violations included:

Corrected During InspectionCritical Repeat The following food item(s) were observed cold holding at improper temperatures using a calibrated food temperature measuring device: carafe containing 2% milk 56F, carafe containing 1% Milk 57F, Mimet 1dr refrigeration unit: milk 44F, cream cheese 44F

Hampton Inn

• Number of critical violations: 2
• Number of non-critical violations: 3

Critical violations included:

Corrected During Inspection Critical A food employee was observed handling the following bowl using their bare hands:
Except when washing fruits and vegetables, food employees may not contact ready-to-eat foods using their bare hands. Employees shall use suitable utensils such as scoop. It is recommended that the scoop be placed on a cleanable material such as a tray, on top of ice maker.