Tompkins County restaurant inspections: How safe is your favorite place to eat?

Thousands of people in Tompkins County eat out every day.

Whether it’s a quick stop for a breakfast sandwich during the morning commute, a soup and salad for lunch, or a dinner date at a fancy restaurant, they take for granted that the food they're buying is safe and that it's not going to make them sick.

It’s not just blind faith.

Consumers can feel safe because of a team of inspectors from the health department visit each establishment to ensure that food is being prepared in a clean environment and that health and safety regulations are being followed.

Inspection reports are public documents, and the online database at data.ithacajournal.com/restaurant-inspections/ has the results of inspections in Tompkins County and across New York state.  Readers can see when a facility was last inspected and get a summary of the violations that inspectors found.

Each report is only a snapshot in time, reflecting observations from a single day when inspectors were in the restaurant.

Problems that were found on one occasion were likely fixed, and a clean slate in one report doesn't mean that problems can't crop up later.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Tompkins County restaurant inspections: How safe is your favorite place to eat?