Critical Violations at One Falls Church Restaurants

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports are not quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

With that said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to the Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

In the past month, the following Falls Church restaurants have been inspected by the VDH. The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Viet Royale

6767 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church

Inspected March 29: eight critical violations, no non-critical violations

The following visibly soiled or improperly cleaned equipment or utensils were observed being used during food preparation: Observed one pair of tongs at the wok station to transfer raw chicken, raw beef, raw seafood and fresh vegetables to the wok for cooking. This may cause cross-contamination of food items.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

2960 Gallows Rd., Falls Church

Inspected March 29: No critical or non-critical violations

No violations were found during the inspection.

Long John Silver’s #3412

7049 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church

Inspected March 28: no critical violations, three non-critical violations

The nonfood-contact surfaces of the following equipment had accumulations of grime and debris: batter mixer splatters on neighboring microwaves and other equipment.