Does Your Favorite Restaurant Meet the 'Gold Standard?'

The public can now get a glimpse behind the kitchen doors of their favorite restaurants through a new website that posts the inspection ratings of more than 400 restaurants and food establishments in the area, according to Lucy Forgione, Bernards Township Health Officer.

Earlier this year, the Bernards Township Board of Health began posting the results of its inspections online for the first time.

Forgione gives credit for the idea to one of her colleagues in Hunterdon County, who already had the practice of posting inspection results for the public to view.

“When I heard about this, it made perfect sense. The public should have easy access to this information,” said Forgione.

The Township Board of Health is responsible for several area municipalities, including Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Peapack-Gladstone, Chester Borough, Long Hill Township and Mendham Borough and Township.

The ratings range from the Gold Standard Award, Satisfactory, Conditionally Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory.

While all of the restaurants in the area have not yet been inspected for 2011, of the ones that have, the following have already received the Gold Standard Award in Bernards Township: Brush’s Deli, Dewy Meadow Dunkin Donuts, Lyons Dunkin Donuts, Panera Bread, Subway of Basking Ridge and The Ridge Restaurant & Pizzeria, according to the most recent listing on the website.

Some updates may not yet have been posted on the site, according to the health department. The Dunkin Donuts in The Hills on Thursday also displayed a Gold Standard award it had received.

In Bernardsville, Lenny’s Tratoria & Pizzeria and Friendly’s have received the Gold Standard Award, the website said.

“We are very happy to be recognized, but we see this as part of our business. We are in the food business and we must take extra care when dealing with the public,” said Ramy Ibraham, owner of Lenny’s Tratoria & Pizzeria, located at 88 Morristown Rd. in Bernardsville, which was awarded the highest rating.

Andrew Skrzyniarz, Shift Leader at Dunkin Donuts located on King George Road in the Dewy Meadow Shopping Center said, “It was a really nice feeling to receive the Gold rating. Both the manager and owner were psyched about it,” Skrzyniarz said.

He said manager Felix Flores and owner Wayne Lucier would expect nothing less from their staff.

“They compliment us, but it was really nice to get this rating because it was added confirmation that we are doing a good job,” said Skrzyniarz.

The Criteria

According to information on the Board of Health website, a food establishment must meet a number of criteria to be eligible for the Gold Award.

For instance, an establishment must have two or more consecutive calendar years, with an average of three or fewer violations (must not be food borne illness risk factors and interventions) per inspection report and a person on staff must become a certified food protection manager after completing one of the three courses recognized by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.

The establishment must also have a demonstrated track record of being consistently cooperative and attentive to food protection and the highest standards of food safety and sanitation and must have a demonstrated knowledge of food borne disease prevention, HACCP principles and the requirements of NJAC 8:24 Chapter 24.

According to Forgione, food handlers are required by law to display their inspection ratings in a public place.

“Restaurants are inspected once each year. School cafeterias are inspected twice a year, and chronic offenders may get an unannounced visit for an inspection of their facilities two or three times annually,” said Forgione.

Those establishments that receive a "conditional" rating usually are quick to fix a problem, Forgione said. She said about 95 percent of the eating facilities inspected by the department receive a satisfactory rating.

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For more information about the program and the list of restaurants in the area and their ratings, visit the Board of Health website at: http://www.bernardshealth.org/HomePages/FoodInspectionRatingsMain.htm