When the China Buffet in Appleton, Wisconsin (that’s in the U.S.) was closed by health inspectors last week, it not only marked the first time in a decade that local health types had closed a joint, but went against stated policy.

“You balance putting a restaurant out of business with assuring the public’s health,” said Kurt Eggebrecht, the city’s health officer. “The potential is there for people to misunderstand that (violations are) an ongoing problem and therefore they won’t eat at that restaurant.”

The Post Crescent reports that Appleton’s philosophy, shared by some health departments across the state, is that inspections are meant to be spot checks, and represent just a snapshot of compliance. They refuse to score restaurants, rank them, or mandate inspection records be posted at the establishment.

Restaurants and city officials are not required to inform customers when there is a sudden closure like the one at China Buffet, 982 W. Northland Ave. The closure was ordered after a contractor who was working on the building discovered hundreds of cockroaches and called the health department. An emergency inspection found numerous violations, including employees who weren’t properly washing their hands and raw food, including chicken and eggs, left overnight at room temperature.

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna was quoted as saying, “Our goal is helping restaurants succeed. The goal isn’t to make us look good, but help them succeed and at the same time help the public. We’re protecting the public by shutting them down if there’s a problem. We’re not doing that by putting out a press release letting the public know.”