Epstein raises repeat violations and DOHMH authority to shut problem establishments

So there are a couple of takeout places in my district where there have been ongoing concerns, where there are...

have been inspections, violations, shut down, and they just continue to reopen to a moment where if someone has ongoing violations, where a health department makes a determination that

that location or that establishment in that location can't continue to operate.

We do have the authority to take action against a restaurant owner who appears to be unable to comply with food safety requirements.

And how often have you exercised that option?

Extremely rarely.

Our goal is to bring restaurants into compliance.

So we are much more likely to try to provide technical assistance to that restaurant owner to help them.

Come into compliance with the requirements.

We have lots of tools for restaurant owners.

For example, one we haven't talked about is we've developed what we call an inspection history report.

Any restaurant can get on our website, type in some information, their permit number or something like that, and get an individualized report that shows their last three years of history of repeat violations.

And so that's our way of saying,

Here's something to focus on.

These are things that you continue to do wrong.

So we're really, our goal is, and we can work with SBS.

They also have a compliance team to bring that restaurant into compliance and to be able to operate.

When how extremely rarely how often have you exercised that tool?

I don't have that number.

I'd have to check.

Could you check and get back to us on it?