Working in an inn that does serve dinner, I can understand the cross-contamination aspect of it as well as the hand washing. But you have to take the same precautions for breakfast! What about raw eggs for breakfast? Do they care about that? Sausage? Bacon?
I have honestly put my search on hold in Maine due to this one major obstacle. I WANT to be able to serve dinner. I know it can be done. I know the hard work it includes. I know the time it involves. I know the cost differences of breakfast foods versus dinner foods. But, I also know the money it can bring in. I WANT to be able to make that choice...not have it made for me. Or not even be given the choice in the first place..
penelope said:
Working in an inn that does serve dinner, I can understand the cross-contamination aspect of it as well as the hand washing. But you have to take the same precautions for breakfast! What about raw eggs for breakfast? Do they care about that? Sausage? Bacon?
I have honestly put my search on hold in Maine due to this one major obstacle. I WANT to be able to serve dinner. I know it can be done. I know the hard work it includes. I know the time it involves. I know the cost differences of breakfast foods versus dinner foods. But, I also know the money it can bring in. I WANT to be able to make that choice...not have it made for me. Or not even be given the choice in the first place.
It is basically grandfathered in. It is what a B&B is all about. You should not be able to serve dinners without full health dept approval, and if that requires a commercial kitchen, then sobeit. I know some will not like me saying that, and I am one who does not believe in over-regulations, but we have all had the runs or sick from a licensed and inspected restaurant, there has to be some accountability. A place that has had no inspection can do anything they want to - dangerous food handling or not.
I worked for the health dept in Australia. We had EPIDEMIC of so and so's cousin from Greece working behind the scenes/under the table so to speak who brought in - let's see - I remember Scarlet Fever taking down a whole suburb. Every time they environmental health inspectors dropped in, this cousin was not there. Come to find out she worked late into the evening when they were closed cutting/preparing the veggies for the next day. They finally nabbed her and sure enough, she carried Scarlet Fever.
There is a reason food service is regulated. B&B's have slid past much of it. But MOST B&B's are inspected and have a sign that says approved by the health dept. We do here, it is to be posted publicly.
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We don't get anything from the health dept stating we've been inspected. I wish we did. One saving grace here, in spite of all the issues we've had, is that the kitchen is very open to GUEST inspection! They can see the food being made (gloves on), the surfaces being cleaned and the cook/server hand washing constantly (using paper towels to dry).
We have guests talking to us while we're cleaning up afterwards, incredulous that floor washing is done on hands and knees.
When someone says, 'I'll just wash my coffee cup when I'm done,' and we say, 'No, it has to go into the dishwasher for the sanitize cycle,' they do realize we take precautions.
And, yes, after what I saw awhile ago, I wish the inspectors got around a bit more. Trash piled up against the stove, grunge and grease everywhere. Ugh. And this place was licensed for dinners.
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