# So I went out to pick up some lunch today (a "would you?" question) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221 "2010-05-29T20:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/21 "2010-05-30T02:22:22Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I don’t think I’d patronize a restaurant that had a “C” rating posted, but once things were better, I’d go back. > > Hell, I went to one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles about three days after [they’d been shut down for a cockroach infestation](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/phillipes-restaurant-cocroach-infestation.html). But really, what restaurant doesn’t attract roaches? The ones where the food is \*really \*bad. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/22 "2010-05-30T03:20:42Z")
I wouldn’t go to somewhere with a C. I don’t care why they got it- nit picky person or otherwise. Fact is, if so many places have As, it can’t be that hard to meet the necessary health standards. Once, I popped into a new Chinese place on my lunch hour, ordered, then while I was waiting, noticed the B on the door. I was conflicted- I had already ordered and paid! I ended up eating it, but I didn’t enjoy the food because I kept thinking I was going to find a rat head in my chow mein. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/23 "2010-05-30T03:45:47Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I worked at a restaurant before and I can tell you that the only reason restaurants get C’s is because they were caught. A’s are simply better at hiding crap But being able to hide crap shows a certain level of competence, no? ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/24 "2010-05-30T03:56:11Z")
I wouldn’t go to a restaurant with a C. I read the newspaper listings for restaurant inspections and they’ll say stuff like: Black mold in the ice machines. Insect carcasses in food prep area. Open containers in cold storage. 91.5 A- It’s so rare to see anything below an 85 that a C would scare the bejeesus out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/25 "2010-05-30T04:29:15Z")
I don’t know, probably. But I have also picked a hair out of a chicken basket at Dairy Queen and continued eating it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/26 "2010-05-30T18:02:41Z")
Was it [this place](http://failblog.org/2008/10/20/sneaky-restaurant-fail/)? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/27 "2010-05-30T18:28:48Z")
No, stay out of a C. Not only does it show they don’t have very high standards, it’s shows they don’t give a crap and haven’t bothered to try and fix things. Any restaurant can have a bad day. But not fixing everything like two seconds after you get your report? Unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/28 "2010-05-30T18:55:38Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > But being able to hide crap shows a certain level of competence, no? Ok you got me there! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/29 "2010-05-30T19:40:16Z")
Stay far, far away from C. B is noticeably gross, even. ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/30 "2010-05-30T20:13:37Z")
A C might make me pause and re-think my options, but I’d probably still eat there unless my eating partners were squeamish. I wouldn’t care if it was only a B since it seems like most of the small, cheap, ethnic food places usually have a B. My friends and I joke that getting an A might be evidence that the food isn’t authentic enough. For Los Angeles County, this website has in detail all the violations the restaurant had: [http://www.lapublichealth.org/rating/](http://www.lapublichealth.org/rating/) My worst case of food poisoning occurred after eating at a restaurant that was graded A. I couldn’t keep down any solids other than plain toast for a whole week. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/31 "2010-05-30T21:39:34Z")
Around here (South Carolina) you can easily search what grades restaurants get. It also shows you if it was a normal routine inspection or a follow-up. Look, if your restaurant can’t get its act together when it knows the inspectors are coming back, I am never eating there again. That’s kind of insulting, that “small ethnic restaurants” get B grades - it certainly isn’t the case here. Most of the best ethnic restaurants I go to proudly show off their “A”, and some of them have the “Golden Spatula” the local news gives to the highest scoring restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/32 "2010-05-30T22:40:47Z")
In Alabama, full inspections are posted, with a 0-100% grade. As I understand it, anything less than 76% earns you a quick repeat inspection. A repeat failure gets your restaurant closed. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/33 "2010-05-30T23:17:04Z")
One of my favorite local restaurants was shut down a few years ago for sending a lot of people to the hospital. It took awhile, but they reopened. Everyone assumed they would be the cleanest place in town. I was in the next wave of people that got sent to the hospital when they reopened. They were shut down for good after that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/34 "2010-05-30T23:23:44Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/35 "2010-05-30T23:24:34Z")
I live in China itself. I’m sure 99% of the stuff I eat is prepared under circumstances that would make a health inspector’s hair fall out. As long as the food is served hot, you’ll almost certainly be okay. I’d eat there. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/36 "2010-05-30T23:31:51Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I’d eat there. > > I worked at a restaurant before and I can tell you that the only reason restaurants get C’s is because they were caught. A’s are simply better at hiding crap Indeed. I wonder what my home kitchen would get? Probably a D, if for nothing else than the mystery left overs currently trying to out evolve me in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/37 "2010-05-30T23:50:37Z")
Restaurants get a “Pass” (green), “Conditonal” {yellow} or “Closed” (red) in Toronto. “Conditional” is when problems were found and they have to fix them. [You can look them up on the web.](http://app.toronto.ca/food2/index.jsp) ---
**Author:** ![smee\_goan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@smee\_goan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smee_goan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/38 "2010-05-31T00:19:01Z")
Marinated by wha? Found a marijuana roach in chili once… 20 years ago,… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/39 "2010-05-31T00:25:32Z")
> [@smee\_goan](#): > > Marinated by wha? > Found a marijuana roach in chili once… > 20 years ago,… No, the real question is…did you dry out the roach and smoke it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221/40 "2010-05-31T00:38:36Z")
I got my worst case of food poisoning from Chipotle, so even highly regimented chains aren’t immune. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-went-out-to-pick-up-some-lunch-today-a-would-you-question/541221.md?page=3)