Food for Thought

Chinese buffet makes dramatic turnaround in health inspection

A couple of Knoxville area restaurants failed their health inspections this week. And Food for Thought returned to a Chinese buffet to check improvements after it failed by 20 points a couple of weeks ago. More>>

Low-scoring Knoxville restaurant improves for reinspection

When a restaurant gets a bad health inspection grade, the inspector will return within a week to ten days, sometimes sooner. That was the case for the restaurant that received the worst grade of the week. More>>

Local restaurant with low health inspection score closes doors

The restaurant that went out of business was not the lowest scoring place of the week, it was in the middle of the pack. More>>

5 restaurants flunk by double digits

Five Knoxville area restaurants flunked their health inspections this week by double digits. More>>

10 restaurants flunk Knox County health inspections

Ten restaurants received failing grades from Knox County health inspectors this week. More>>

Don Dare Reports

Each week, 6 On Your Side reporter Don Dare checks the latest restaurant inspections by the Knox County Health Department. Find out which restaurants flunked and which are the cleanest every Friday on 6 News at 6:00.

If you would like to contact Don, click here.

Find Out More

Search for health inspection scores for any restaurant or retail food store in Tennessee:

Frequently Asked Questions

How are restaurantes graded?
Restaurants are scored on a 0 to 100 scale. A score of 70 or above is passing. Below 70 is failing.

How often are restaurants inspected?
Restaurants are given an unannounced inspection every six months.

What happens if the inspector finds serious problems?
If critical violations are found (food spoilage, potentially hazardous food temperatures, a presence of toxic items, insects or rodents, or sewage and waste water) the restaurant is given 10 days to correct them. After 10 days, an inspector will return, again unannounced, and check only the critical violations. If they're corrected, the restaurant receives an "adjusted" score. That new adjusted score can be posted at the restuarnt, but the initial grade is included in the official record.

What happens if critical violations aren't corrected by the next inspection?
The restaurant is given 48 hours to correct the problems. Then an inspector returns to see if the violations are fixed. If they are, again an adjusted grade is given. If they're not, the inspector and a supervisor from the county health department return to the restaurant with a "closure" letter. The violations must be corrected on the spot. If they're not, the restaurant can be temporarily closed until the corrections are made. The closure letter becomes part of the restaurant's permanent file.