City dishing up Blue Plate awards

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Those who dine in local restaurants or other establishments that serve food like to know those places not only provide great food and excellent service, but are also safe and clean, both in the front of the house and behind the scenes. In October 2014, the City of Copperas Cove reintroduced the Blue Plate Award, given monthly to a local business when it is inspected by Code Enforcement. “We felt it was important to publicly recognize the food establishments that are making the effort to comply with all regulations and at the same time provide another incentive for these businesses.” said George Sinner, senior code officer with Code Compliance. Establishments earn the Blue Plate Award when they score 100 percent on their annual inspection. The inspections are done according to the state’s food establishment rules field inspection manual, which due to be updated by the state of Texas this year. As of this date the following Food Service Establishments have earned Blue Plate Awards: Cove Fitness, October 2014; Kid’s World Child Care, November 2014; Pam’s Place, H-E-B Plus!, C&H Hawaiian Grill, all in February 2015; John’s Java House, March 2015. The department hopes as the program continues to gain momentum, those establishments that have not scored as well in the past view the award as an incentive for some good publicity. The Code Compliance Department is working on getting all food establishment scores posted on the City’s website in the near future. Originally the award was given to any Food Service Establishment that scored 96 percent or above on their inspection, but was changed to 100 percent to award true excellence. Sinner was able to bring this back to the department with the support of City Manager Andrea Gardner, Chief of Police Timothy Molnes, along with and the Code Compliance staff. Any place that serves food within the city, including restaurants, convenience stores, schools, child care facilities and more are inspected a minimum of two times a year. This inspection allows establishments to keep their yearly food permit, along with ensuring compliance with health laws.