The Health Department has access during working hours to all restaurant kitchens with live cameras.
Posted by BuckTribe@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 7 comments
Why not have the entire health department be set up with a production room where they can monitor restaurant kitchens. They have offices throughout the city at various locations and they monitor all restaurants in their sector. Have two camera board operators and the health inspector with a headset. Now there might be like 10-12 restaurants in their sector so they arent overwhelmed with the job.
"go to camera 12, olive garden on main. I just saw a rat; did you see that!" And the crew screen records it and sends it to the owner of the restaurant with a new health code violation and grade.
Ok-Bet-560@reddit
I'm a health inspector, I would hate this. And a lot of the things we look at you wouldn't be able to see on a camera. I would still need to go in-person for an inspection
BuckTribe@reddit (OP)
Oh this doesn't eliminate the in person inspections. But those cameras keep the kitchens honest knowing they are being monitors.
jdog7249@reddit
There are thousands of restaurants under each health department. Each one would have at least 5 cameras in the kitchen (minimum).
The staff needed to properly monitor that (not even counting the amount of screens needed) would be insane. You would be more likely to spot a problem with a random pop in inspection than you would be with the camera.
Also the Internet bandwidth required to have multiple cameras per restaurant streaming to this remote location at once would be near impossible to provide.
fireduck@reddit
It would be a Panopticon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon
Sure, not everyone can be watched at once but no one knows if they are currently being watched or not.
Snackatomi_Plaza@reddit
You're right. This would be a crazy idea.
chickey23@reddit
Especially ghost kitchens. Anyone could make my food if I believed they were taking appropriate caution. A timelapse video of the food being prepared should be available through delivery apps.
BuckTribe@reddit (OP)
I own a bakery and run a ghost kitchen. I care about my business enough to follow all health codes and laws. I keep a clean work space. Little things that go untouched factor into the health and safety of our food. I know a few restaurants that don't wipe down the top of their machines where dust is collected.