Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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NINE BARS BY JENÉE AND ROB OVITT photos by JEN HELLOW Acing the health inspection visit from the health inspector is always nerve-racking. Even if your place is so clean you could make coffee on the bathroom floor, a health inspection can cause a mild panic attack. We've been dealing with health inspectors in several cities over several years, as both employees and owners. Currently we're doing so with our shop, Once Over Coffee Bar in Austin, Texas. Although health inspections are unlikely to ever be a breeze, there are ways to make this not-very-fun part of the busi- ness a little better. Disclaimer #1: Every city—and every inspector— is different. If you're thinking of opening a shop, do yourself a huge favor and go to the health department before you even start looking for a space. The requirements can potentially dictate every aspect of your busi- ness, from what sort of space will be feasible to how much your build- out will cost, to what's on your menu and what you can sell in the future. Research your city's laws online and try to get as many answers as you can there. Then make a list of very specific ques- tions and go to the municipal government in person to meet with someone. Be prepared. Don't waste their time. This is your first 52 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com interaction with the health department, so it's the time to make friends. Let them tell you what will be required, and make sure you are willing to comply. However, don't be afraid to stand by your convictions—politely. For instance, we had one of these meetings when we moved back to Austin to open a shop. We were familiar with health codes for bars, but not so much for cof- fee shops. Apparently our health department was not so familiar with coffee shop health codes either. We were initially told we would have to install a grease trap. Huh? Making coffee doesn't create grease. We questioned the city's reasoning, respectfully. We showed the city representative our menu. We explained that no food would be prepared on premise. "What about sandwiches?" they asked. No, we will not make sandwiches. "What about eggs?" No, we will never cook eggs in our coffee shop. "Are you sure you aren't going to make sandwiches?" Again, no. And they finally relented, saying, that if we really just made coffee, we would not be required to put in a grease trap (saving us more than $15,000 on our build-out, thank you very much). We had to swear in blood we would never,