San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2024-2025
Restaurant Exteriors: the Neglected Space Issue The exterior trash areas of food service businesses are often unsightly
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 7 findings
F1
Page 6
Sanitary conditions of the exterior of restaurant facilities fall outside current inspections of the County Health Department. The varying unsatisfactory conditions in the waste removal areas of the facilities shows something is lacking in the regulatory process.
F2
Page 6
Sanitary conditions of parklets fall outside of current inspections by the County Health Department or Vector Control.
F3
Page 6
Sanitary conditions of exterior areas used for waste storage and disposal fall outside current inspections by local jurisdictions; local jurisdictions are, by and large, only reactive to an actual complaint.
F4
Page 6
Most restaurant exterior areas are “out of sight” of the public and as a result complaints are less frequent.
F5
Page 6
Because they lack oversight, unacceptable conditions in restaurant trash areas are likely not to be rectified.
F6
Page 6
Waste water from the cleaning of trash areas and from rain flow into the storm drain systems. 6 2023-2024 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury
F7
Page 7
Effective inspection of parklet sanitation can be severely hampered by closed skirting and lack of under floor access. Spacing between planking and lack of solid flooring can lead to accumulation of organic debris and possible infestation by vermin.
Recommendations 4
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R1Page 7By June 30, 2025, the County should amend its Food Facility Checklist to include the condition of trash area flooring, bins, dumpsters and enclosures, and note any needed repair, replacement or cleaning.
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R2Page 7By June 30, 2025, the County should amend its Food Facility Checklist to include the entire exterior waste storage area, retention areas and parklets, including flooring and underfloor areas.
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R3Page 7By June 30, 2025, the County should require operators/owners of restaurants to have a written diagram of their approved waste storage/retention area posted so the inspector can evaluate the condition of the facilities.
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R4Page 7By June 30, 2025, inspectors for all jurisdictions with restaurants should be empowered to require owners/operators to add receptacles or increase the frequency of pick-ups. Note: The Grand Jury is not able to recommend changes to building codes or planning criteria to cities or the County. However, in our review we did find the City of Palo Alto has a publication with clear and comprehensive regulations/recommendations for these areas. “Comprehensive Guidelines for Commercial Trash Enclosures: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development-services/palo- alto-trash-enclosure-area-guidelines-march-2017.pdf”
Observations 3
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OB1 Page 6Open floor segments can permit food and other waste falling under the floor of the parklet to the street;
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OB2 Page 6Many have open side(s) permitting vermin to go under the parklet to feed on scraps;
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OB3 Page 6Street drainage (from road crown and gutter flow) can exacerbate the problems of waste under the floor, including leaves and other refuse.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office