About food establishment closures
Summary
It certainly won't qualify as the "good news" part of EveryBlock, but this section will let you know when restaurants and other food-serving establishments in your neighborhood were closed recently by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health — and what caused the closure.
Causes, which range from the presence of vermin to a lack of toilet facilities, are noted in each closure report, along with the establishment's address and name, the date it was closed and the date it reopened.
It's not uncommon for an establishment to be closed and reopen in the same day. This happens when an establishment's operator quickly corrects the violation and the inspector can verify the correction in a return visit that day.
Note that this section of EveryBlock includes closures throughout Los Angeles County, not just the city of Los Angeles proper.
Also note that in some cases, a closure notice might not mean the establishment's doors are shut. We found that in one case, a facility was listed as closed by the health department — though it was only prohibited from selling some kinds of food until it received a health permit. It received that permit a few months after it appeared on the closure list.
Source
The data comes from the Weekly Restaurant Closures page published by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The health department updates its database periodically, usually by adding many closures that cover a wide array of dates in a single day. This means the data is generally weeks and sometimes months behind, but we at EveryBlock check for new closures daily.
How does the inspection closure work?
The Environmental Health, Food Inspection Bureau is responsible for food safety in Los Angeles County.
Inspectors focus on guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The methods are outlined in the Retail Food Inspection Guide.
An establishment can be closed if the inspector finds a "major" violation (e.g., vermin or the lack of hot water) that can't immediately be corrected and a suitable alternative can't be found.
During inspections, violations are given point values and the total number of points is subtracted from 100. Any establishment earning less than 70 points is deemed to have poor food-handling practices and overall general food facility maintenance. Food facilities that score below 70 twice in one year are subject to closure and the filing of a court case.
You can view restaurant inspection information on EveryBlock's food establishment inspections page.
