What would you do if your reception hall had a failed inspection from the health department...?

Question

...a week before your wedding?

My cousin's wedding is next week. My mom just saw this in the paper about her reception hall:

Critical Violations 7-19-07
July 19, 2007, 12:13 pm

When the Health Department checked out the Polish Falcons this week, they found a total of 3 critical code violations. The inspector found mouse droppings and cockroaches. The mice "evidence" as the inspector puts it was found in a storage cabinet for dishes. The inspector found those cockroaches in the building's basement. They told the Polish Falcons to call an exterminator right away. They got another critical for food temperatures. A walk-in cooler was holding at 45-degrees. That's above the 41-degrees considered safe for potentially hazardous foods. They told the Polish Falcons to 'throw out' the food in that cooler and stop using it until it's fixed. The third critical concerns storage. The inspector found toxic chemicals stored above food service utensils.

They told workers to move the toxic items and clean off the utensils that had been underneath.

I am thinking that maybe we should stop at Subwa before the reception!

Answer 1

Its actually good that this happened because you will be guaranteed that you are getting a super cleanand health safe venue now. They arent allowed to continue serving if the viloations arent fixed, so unless the do it immediately they wont be able to have the wedding which means they will have to return all that money. Now, mentally, this may not make you feel better, so I cant tell you not to stop for a bite before hand, but the place should be cleaned by then. The health Depts dont fool around, they will be on that place like white on rice!

Answer 2

Chances are if you've read this in the paper, some of your guests have, too. The bride and groom need to seriously discuss this. Call the Falcons and ask to speak to the person in charge. Your cousin doesn't want a ruined wedding with people getting sick and stepping on roaches while they're trying to dance.

If the Falcons can't get the problem fixed in time, then demand the deposit back and try to find another place last minute. See if they can rent a tent, tables, and chairs... or maybe a restaurant. If they hired a caterer, the caterer needs to know the decision ASAP so that they can change their plans. A church hall or fire hall may be open in the area that you could use, too.

Answer 3

Is this a reception hall that's doing all of the catering in-house or are they hiring an off-site caterer? If they're doing it all, I agree with the above poster and take in the article to them. Your cousin should be concerned that mice droppings were found in the cabinets that are housing the dishes their guests will probably be served with! If the cooler is not working properly and the foods are not being stored at the right temperature, that's not good either. Is their deadline to have all of this fixed before or after the wedding? You might want to find that out. If the deadline is before the wedding, they're probably good to go. But make them aware of your concern.

Answer 4

Call the reception hall asap and ask them what's going on. Will they be ready for your wedding next week? What are they going to do/how are they going to accomidate if they aren't? If you paid for them to provide food, can you still use the facility, get a refund for food, and find an outsider caterer?

Call the health department and ask if the facility can still be used for the reception. Ask if it's acceptable to bring outside food in on the day of the wedding. The health dept. may have completely shut the building down until it's clean, even if you aren't bringing food in.

Have someone else call around to other reception halls about any openings. They probably know about the health inspection of your place and may be able to make recommendations on what to do.

Good luck!

Answer 5

LOL

Well, technically, yes, I would probably flip out. However, having worked in the food industry for quite some time, I know that those places are often given VERY LITTLE TIME to get things under control, so I would imagine there's a pretty good chance the reception hall would be EXTREMELY clean (having over-compensated to get the negative marks off) a week and a half later when the reception is.

Answer 6

I would get a full refund from the facility and see what I could do about moving the reception pronto. Then I'd start a "call chain" to spread the word that the reception has been moved for the safety of the guests.

Answer 7

I would not eat there! Is your cousin still having her reception there? What is the owner doing to correct the problem? I would definately go by7-11 and grab a big bite before I eat anything that she has there. I hope that her wedding turns out nice but she should consider moving and have that hall pay for it!

Answer 8

I would take the article with me up to the reception hall and ask to personally inspect the hall and the kitchen. You can never be too safe with your guest health.

If they are willing to let you all do a personal inspection, and everything looks like it is where it is supposed to be as far as health concerns, then go ahead with that location. If they are not up to code as far as you can see, speak with the manager and ask what can be done to fix the problem and if the manager is unwilling, ask them to find you a new place for the reception.

Answer 9

I wouldn't have my reception there. I would scrounge around and have it catered by the local supermarket first. I'm sure people will understand especially given that the hall was written up in the local paper. I would rather have mediocre nonlethal food than really tasty lethal food. Tell her to call the VFW and American Legion.

Answer 10

I would demand a refund and find a new location....that's nasty. You are perfectly in your rights to cancel the contract with something like that.

I would rather serve my guests KFC at the Motel 8 and apologize for messed up plans than give them all food poisioning...but I still had a reception at the Hyatt! :/