Ken King with Foodservice Consulting & Design LLC, writes in response to the  front-page article about Restaurant 415 in Colorado. After more than 40 years in the restaurant industry, I must disagree with the presumption of the 415 owners that the system is broken. Upon inspection of their detailed health report, I would close down the restaurant (three consecutive “inadequate” ratings) based upon the dangers their operation poses to the dining public.

Not noted in the article was the cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, dirty work surfaces, wiping cloths with inadequate sanitizing solutions, staff eating and drinking in the kitchen and, most damning, the holding of foods in the critical danger zones, allowing growth of pathogens. All of these are easily rectified and preventable with capable and engaged Management.

It is apparent that the owners/operators of Restaurant 415 either have not bothered, or (more likely due to their refutation of the health process) hold themselves above the established processes we all observe in order to keep our guests safe from food-borne illnesses. This is not cause to buck the system; rather it is powerful reason for guests to reject any dining establishment which cannot assure food safety.

It has been my personal experience that earning exceptional ratings from Health Department inspections department is easy, if one knows what one is doing. This is serious business.