Richmond Highway Restaurant Recognized For Excellent Food Safety

HYBLA VALLEY, VA—Many restaurants and establishments pass health inspections throughout the year with minimal or no violations, but it's quite an accomplishment to be named one of the safest in the county. Residents in the Richmond Highway corridor can now say they eat at one of these places.

The Ruby Tuesday at 7692 Richmond Highway was awarded a "14 Carrot Gold Food Safety Excellence Award" from the Fairfax County Health Department. It was among nine other places receiving the honor for excellent food safety and employee education practices. Inspection records show the cafe hasn't committed violations since March 2015.

Environmental health specialists chose the winners among 3,400 permitted establishments. Eligible establishments cannot have any critical violations during inspections within the last two years and no more than six non-critical violations in the past year. Restaurants are nominated for the award by members of the public, health inspectors or others in the food service industry.

“We instituted this awards program to recognize food service facilities that place a high importance on food safety practices and policies, " said environmental health director Pieter Sheehan. "While every food service facility is required to meet minimum food safety requirements, these 10 establishments are to be commended for going above and beyond to safeguard their patrons from the risks of foodborne illness.”

Here are all 10 winners:

• Ruby Tuesday, 7692 Richmond Highway, Alexandria
• FLIK at Freddie Mac HQ4 Café, 1551 Park Run Dr., McLean
• Annandale High School, 4700 Medford Dr., Annandale
• Atrium Catering & Event Design, 263 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon
• Aurora House Girls Group Home, 420 South Maple Ave., Falls Church
• Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 8971 Ox Road, Lorton
• Moe’s Southwest Grill, 5005 Westone Plaza, Chantilly
• Qdoba, 10338 Main St., Fairfax
• Simply Elegant, 11600 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston
• Wegman’s Food Markets, 11620 Monument Dr., Fairfax

The health department regularly conducts restaurant inspections, with the frequency depending on the type of food served and how it is prepared. (For local restaurant inspections and more local stories, subscribe to Patch's daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

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