City's 311 App With Restaurant Inspection Scores Highlighted

EVANSTON, IL - The city of Evanston’s innovative app that allows prospective diners to text 311 to find the health scores of restaurants they are selecting was featured recently in a Government Technology magazine article.

The magazine touts the city’s innovation when it comes to providing an extra opportunity to avoid foodborne illnesses.

“The proof is in the app. Whether it’s Evanston’s Kafein coffee house on Chicago Avenue or the Peckish Pig on Howard Street, finding scores is simple. Diners just text “food” to the city’s 311 number, and after a prompt, enter a restaurant name and they’re returned the recent score and inspection date.”

The article pointed out some alarming statistics about food poisoning, but again shows how Evanston is seeking to be ahead of the curve in beating the odds.

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, about one in six Americans — or about 48 million people — are infected with foodborne illnesses. Of these, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 are killed….Evanston seeks to be an anomaly in these statistics.”

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