Richard Blais’ Flip Burger fails health inspection

flip burger boutique buckhead ~ what now, atlanta?
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Top Chef All Star Winner’s Buckhead restaurant scores 69/100 on random health inspection

Flip Burger Boutique Buckhead passed three scheduled (follow-up) health inspections in January but failed their random (routine) health inspection Friday with a score of 69/100.

Scheduled inspections mean the restaurant knows when the health inspector is coming. It’s almost unheard of to fail a scheduled inspection. Because the restaurant has no idea when a random inspection will occur, it is a far more accurate reflection of how the restaurant operates its kitchen.

Failing scores change from one health inspector to the next but the industry standard is that anything below a 70 (out of 100) is failing, according to April Majors, public information officer for the Fulton County Environmental Health Services Department.

Here’s a a screen shot of Flip Burger’s failed health inspection:

Failed inspection: April 8, 2011 Score: 69, Grade: U (Full report and violations)

(3655 Roswell Road Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30305)

Wondering why we don’t publish re-inspections and passing scores? Click here.

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

33 Responses

  1. Most home kitchens would fail. Think about that the next time you attend a dinner party.

    I don’t want to say “whatever, it’s no big deal.” But most of this stuff won’t kill you, and probably won’t make you sick.

  2. The good news for the chef is the people of Atlanta will put up with low quality services. You have to, to like the place, and he’ll probably not see any decrease in traffic.

  3. I can’t believe people blow this off – obviously none of these people have had food poison. I have and I care! Not going to eat here. Thanks for the post WhatNowAtlanta.

  4. Looks like these are “inspector with an axe to grind” penalties. Everything is stored/prepared properly and correctly. Dented cans?!?

    2-2B PROVIDE A SEPARATE AREA FO R EMPLOYEE PERSONAL DRINKS. New Violation.
    2-2D KEEP HANDWASHING SINK ACCESSABLE. New Violation.
    3-1C REMOVE ALL DENTED CANS FROM STOCK. New Violation.
    4-2A PROVIDE PROTECTIONS FOR ALL FOODS. New Violation.
    8-2B STORE ALL TOXIC CHEMICAL AWAY FROM FOOD AND SUPPLIES. New Violation.
    10D LABEL ALL CONTAINERS ON OUTSIDE WHATS ON THE INSIDE. New Violation.
    11D provide thermometers for all coolers and freezers. New Violation.
    12C store wiping cloths in germ killing solution New Violation.
    13A post current inspection and permit at front entrance. New Violation.

  5. if the inspectors had an axe to grind, they would had shut it down. if some random chinese hole in the wall restaurant got a 69 U, you would never step foot in there ever again without the slightest thought of giving them another chance or justifying the violations as minor and non-issue.

    the power of hero worship turns gullible sheep into blind sheep.

  6. This is a load of BS. Read the inspection report. i’ve seen the kitchen and it is clean.
    The most of the points they lost were for stupid non-issue violations:

    The new code sets restaurants up for failure by equating minor non-food safety violations with real dangerous violations.

    2-2b An employee drink in the hot kitchen – 4 points (a rat in the kitchen would only be 3 points)
    2-2d A box or trash can blocking access to a hand sink in a small crowded kitchen – 4 points (for something fixable in 2 seconds)

    8-2b A spray bottle of windex for the table tops on a shelf in the kitchen, oh horrors!!! 4 points

    10d Label all containers on outside whats on inside, in a professional kitchen everything has its place, and looking inside usually does the job, any cooks can tell the difference between chicken and steak, in the real world only a few items need to be labeled. Does a bin of beans really need a label that says beans? 4 points – same as raw chicken left outside, these violations should be 1 point or less.

    11d A refrigerator with a missing thermometer in one of 12-15 coolers in a commercial kitchen? 3 points, same a roaches all over the Buford Hwy restaurants so beloved by foodies.

    12c I love the next one, Store wiping cloths in germ killing solution. Yes the code actually requires that you never use a dry cloth to clean up spills. Ever try to dry up a spill with a wet cloth? It doesn’t work. This one is plain stupid – 3 points

    13a Post current inspection at front entrance at least its only one point. Posted anywhere more that 8 feet from the entrance doesn’t count, you wouldn’t want it near the kitchen where the cooks would see it would you?

    So let’s see if we eliminate the stupid picky violations, we get a 92 or a A. The same score he would have received before the new silly code went into effect. Why do you think there is a sudden rash of good restaurants with bad scores? The kitchens are cleaner than ever, they system just doesn’t work.

    The new scoring system has rendered the numerical scores useless. You have to read the whole report now. Anyone who thinks Flip or Buckhead diner is dirtier than one of the many fast food joints sporting 100’s or 99’s is crazy!!!

  7. All of these pesky rules. We should just get rid of them. I’m sure the restaurants will police themselves. Another example of “the man” coming down on little businesses 🙂

  8. It is all relative. I got food poisoning from a restaurant that consistently scores over 92. Most likely the employee handling my salad didn’t wash their hands after using the restroom. I would be concerned if they found bug or rodent droppings, but dented cans and open employee drinks, big whoop.

  9. @brenda – Nice use of sarcasm but I have to agree with Josh Thomas. Who cares if there are employee drinks in or near the kitchen. Do you ever drink water or soda when you work? At home do you throw away cans you drop that become dented?

    @Wendy, ask for a walk thru and I’m sure they will give you one. Richard runs a very good business and has high standards. He got screwed by rules that have very little to do with food safety. They need to update the scoring so it penalizes food safety issues much higher than non-safety ones. This will only help the consumer.

  10. I think it is BS that this blog is picking on Flip because of its famous chef…the truth is the health department of Fulton County has been very lax in the past years BUT now is cracking down. If you read the fine print, the violations were quite minor. I guarantee this place is way cleaner than most of the kitchens in town.

  11. @JD
    He posts this stuff because its true and his website gets lots and lots of page views, lol. Yay advertising!

  12. Here’s information quoted directly (caps and all) from the USDA website for those who question the dented cans violation:

    While extremely rare, a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the worst danger in canned goods. NEVER USE food from containers that show possible “botulism” warnings: leaking, bulging, or badly dented cans; cracked jars or jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor; or any container that spurts liquid when opening. DON’T TASTE SUCH FOOD! Even a minuscule amount of botulinum toxin can be deadly.

    Of course, not all dented cans will cause botulism. However, a dented can has a higher chance of having a pinpoint hole (that is undetectable by the naked eye) that can allow bacteria to enter.

    These regulations are in place for a reason whether or not they are directly related to food handling. Wet cloths are not just used for cleaning up spills but also for wiping down counters and tables. Bacteria thrive in moist environments. If they wet cloths are not stored in germ killing solution, the bacteria that grows will spread from table to table. Also thermometers for fridges and coolers are extremely important. This is not just a requirement for restaurants but also for health care institutions for medication storage. Simply put, bacteria can quickly grow on food products not stored at the right temperature. The only way to know if it’s the right temperature is to have a thermometer.

  13. Regardless of the actual violations a U on the front door isnt good for business. Not everyone knows how to find the report online or care if the violations are frivolus. I see a U on the front door im leaving

  14. When I see a failing health inspection in a restaurant it says to me “I don’t care about the rules in this county surrounding food safety and I’m going to do things my way”. I don’t want someone making that bad choice for me…I’ll eat elsewhere.

  15. I ordered and ate (half) of an undercooked burger. it made me sick for a day. I called the manager to just let them know, not to ask for compensation or anything – and I was unable to reach them the multiple times I tried.

    Its a convenient location for me, its a shame I will not be back.

  16. I can’t believe the apologists for this guy! Has to be the chef and his friends coming online to do damage control. This is a serious issue and people are cutting way too much slack in brushing it off because not everything they got dinged for is deadly. Bottom line is, when their points were tallied, they did not earn a passing score on this surprise inspection.

    You know what? I don’t really care if some of those items aren’t lethal violations, there are too damn many of them, and the people running the place should know better. If they don’t care about doing things by the book for food safety, I don’t care to have them cook for me, thank you very much.

  17. Flip Burger will continue to be my favorite burger joint in town. I have recently taken on a nighttime, part-time job at a restaurant, and we do try to make sure that lids are on all employee cups and cups are placed in one area and we try to follow all of the nitpicky rules. There are quite a few.

    I have never gotten food poisoning (that I’m aware of knock on wood), and I never pay attention to these idiotic grades. The only food news item I paid attention to recently was when a group in AL finally brought down the lid on Taco Bell “beef.” Now that was funny and I completely bought that story.

  18. While Flip (Buckhead) may have a stellar history of high scoring health inspections; nonetheless, the truth of the matter is on this day they did not. This score is the result of a day in the life of a restaurant gone awry. In reality, it only takes one bad day to wreak havoc in the life of an innocent and unsuspecting patron. Therefore, the county health department and the restaurant are a common firewall to prevent this bad day from ever coming to fruition.

    The truth of the matter is that on this day Flip (Buckhead) was derelict in its part to meet this rather public obligation. Therefore, we should neither understate nor excuse its score on the basis that the failed items are unimportant or irrelevant. In fact, upon closer inspection, one will discover that 25 points of the 69 points lost were related to Foodborne Illness Risk Factors and Public Health Interventions. This should never be taken lightly by neither the health department, nor the restaurant, nor the public.

    There are two proactive measures that a restaurant can take in order to prevent this day from happening. First, management and employees must pay attention to the details – daily. Things like employee cups in the wrong place, chemicals placed near food and supplies, coolers and freezers without thermostats, etc. are all indicative of inattention to details. In the context of a busy restaurant, it is the managers’ responsibility to set the tone. I have been in the restaurant busy for more than 17 years; therefore, I know that this is not always an easy task to do. Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to constantly teach and train employees and crew members on how to assist in discharging this responsibility.

    Secondly, it is also a good idea to routinely hold mock inspections on a regular basis in order to train and “condition” employees on the inspection process and expectations. This is done by making a copy of a Health Inspection Report and scoring your restaurant from the eyes of the health inspector. In the end, this goes a long way in taking the “routine” out of routine health inspections.

  19. Why is it that restaurants like McDonalds & Taco Bell can pass, but higher scale restaurants fail? TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES. Has anyone noticed that almost all the Buckhead Life restaurants have received a C or Failing score in the past year???? To me, a failing restaurant should get nothing less than a high-90’s on their scheduled re-test. Too many continue to barely pass. I appreciate blogs like this posting health dept scores helps keep the restaurants in check and educates consumers.

  20. Worked at a restaurant in Buckhead. Had a regular guest who told a person in the bar that was complaining about his smoking a cigar( back when smoking was allowed in restaurants) to f-off. Her husband or friend or someone was a high up in the inspectors. The restaurant failed and was told the bartenders needed to wear gloves on a regular basis and also wear hairnets. When have you ever gone into a bar and seen hairnets on a bartender. Also unless they are getting olives or cherries when have you seen gloves????? It was obviously a case of an upset or paid off inspector.

  21. I think if I ever owned a restaurant I’d deliberately attempt to at least one time get a score like this. People like Ella Salmon and Greg, you can’t believe the apologists for this guy? Yeah, he’s only won one of the most difficult cooking competitions and brought a major name to the city. I’d much prefer a city full of patrons like yours, ready to ditch a chef for the first bad inspection. Actually, I would. Not only would great restaurants like this not be so packed but I also wouldn’t have to eat surrounded by such unforgiving and highly critical people (likely whom have never run a restaurant or even come close).

    At least some people did bother to offer decent analysis like the breakdown of the infractions while others also did a decent job of pointing out how some of those infractions might be serious or at least have a reason (though only two of them were addressed, nobody is responding to the Windex incident or the hot drink catastrophe).

    Sorry, if the regulatory system is so fickle that restaurants can jump from failing to nearly perfect in nine days….and with no hint of the removal of some MAJOR disaster…the system seems to be too volatile to be taken seriously. More likely that the public shock of a big fat F with no real serious long-term meaning (IT WAS FIXED IN NINE DAYS) is all the inspectors want to inspire enough fear of public backlash, make people feel cozy they are out there catching the “bad guys”, and terrify restaurants into taking action. Ends justify the means?

  22. The folks saying that a failed restaurant inspection is no big deal must be owners or managers of the place or plain stupid! I’ve had food poisoning and it can kill you! The health inspection is not hard to pass and it should be more detailed by taking surface samples for harmful levels of bacteria. I’ve seen “cooks” handling raw meat then handling buns without washing their hands. We call that cross contamination. My concerns are:
    * Poor hand sanitation procedures
    * Not wearing proper hair restraints
    * Cleaning tables with germs laden rags

    If the inspection is not prominantly displayed and the establishment did not receive an “A” I would not eat there!

  23. I went to the original flip last night for the first time. I awoke in the middle of the night to excruciating abdominal pain and nausea. Of course I can’t be 100% sure this was from flip but I’ve never had food poisoning before, and I believe this is what I’m having now. I will be contacting the restaurant today to let them know exactly what I ate. My husband isn’t having any of the same symptoms (though we did have different things to eat).

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