Florida: Franchised restaurants safer than mom and pop’s places?

Whenever I venture home to Sault Ste. Marie, ON my friends and I hit Muio’s (pictured right), a local mom and pop’s place, for a delicious hangover breakfast.

Not without risk, reports Southwest Florida Online. The Sunday Morning News reviewed inspection reports for franchised restaurants in LaBelle, FL, finding these establishments to have fewer violations than mom and pop’s restaurants in the area.

Compared to traditional restaurants in LaBelle, all the fast food outlets have dramatically better state food safety inspection reports. While other restaurants reviewed so far have shown a dozen violations of food safety regulations, including many health critical violations for each, the franchise fast food restaurants come up with only a few violations during the most recent state inspections, with one exception. Hungry Howie’s Pizza remains after many years with its historic poor record of many more than average food violations after each state inspection.

Regardless of Muio’s inspection history I will likely still eat there every Christmas break back home –I love the food too much to resist.