Vinh Food Safety
Mock Health Inspections · Las Vegas Valley

A real SNHD-style inspection, before the real one

I walk your kitchen the way an inspector does, score it on the same demerit system SNHD uses, and hand you a written plan to fix what I find. No grade card. No surprises left.

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What a mock inspection is

A walkthrough of your entire operation, done the way the Southern Nevada Health District does it: receiving, storage, prep, the line, warewashing, restrooms, paperwork. You choose the style: scheduled, or unannounced-style so your team experiences the real thing. I score every finding on SNHD's own demerit framework, so you see exactly where you stand.

A hand lowers a digital probe thermometer into a steel pan of soup on a steam table, steam rising in warm light
Holding temperatures are where I start every walkthrough, because they are where SNHD finds the most demerits.
A

0–10 demerits on a routine inspection keeps the A card in your window.

B

11–20 demerits means a downgrade, fees, and a re-inspection on the clock.

C

21–40 demerits. The re-inspection that follows has to come back at A level.

41+

At 41 or more demerits, SNHD closes the facility until the problems are fixed.

At the end, you get a projected grade: the letter your kitchen would have earned if I had been the District that day. It's a teaching tool, not an official result, and that's exactly why it works. You find out on my visit, not on inspection day.

What you get: the 48-hour report

Within 48 hours of the visit, you get a written report: every item I found, its demerit value, why it matters, and exactly how to fix it, in plain language your staff can follow.

Every finding in the report follows the same four columns, because a list of problems without reasons doesn't change anything:

  • What I saw. The specific condition, stated plainly. No citation-speak.
  • Why it matters. The reason behind the rule, so your team actually remembers it.
  • How to fix it. The correction, step by step, sized for a busy kitchen.
  • How to keep it fixed. The habit or system that stops it from coming back.

Explain · Educate · Correct · Prevent

Here's what that looks like on the page:

Sample excerpt. Illustrative example, not a real client report.

From a 48-hour report

Two findings, written the way you would receive them. Facility details removed.

Cold table on the cook's line: rail pans at 44°F

Critical item · 5 demerits
What I saw

Pans of cut tomatoes and cooked chicken on the rail of the main cold table read 44°F on my probe. The unit's built-in thermometer, down at the base, read 40°F.

Why it matters

41°F is the line because bacteria multiply fastest above it. A unit can be cold at the base while the rail up top drifts warm, and the rail is where the food sits all shift.

How to fix it

Move anything over 41°F to the walk-in now and ice the rail pans for service. Then have the unit checked: a worn gasket or pans stacked above the fill line is the usual cause.

How to keep it fixed

Probe the rail pans themselves at every line check, not just the base display. A two-line temperature log, twice a shift, catches the drift before it costs you five demerits.

Wiping-cloth bucket at prep station testing weak

Major item · 3 demerits
What I saw

The sanitizer bucket at the prep station tested at 100 ppm quat against the manufacturer's 200 ppm minimum, and two cloths were draped over the rim instead of in the solution.

Why it matters

Below the labeled concentration the solution stops sanitizing, so every wipe just moves what the cloth picked up onto the next surface it touches.

How to fix it

Dump the bucket, remix to the concentration on the product label, and verify with a test strip. Cloths stay fully submerged between wipes.

How to keep it fixed

Keep test strips clipped at the bucket and make remixing a named job: fresh solution at open and at every shift change, plus any time the water turns cloudy.

Projected today: B. 14 demerits on this visit; the excerpt above shows two of the five findings behind that number.

A projected grade is a teaching tool from a former inspector, not an official SNHD result.

The report is yours alone. I don't share it with SNHD or anyone else, and nothing in it creates a record against you. It exists to teach.

What I look for, and why it matters

This list comes straight from what SNHD actually cites most, not from a generic national checklist. Here's each one, with the reason behind it.

Cold holding at 41°F

In SNHD's own risk factor study, 65.7% of restaurants were out of compliance on cold holding. It matters because bacteria grow fastest between 41°F and 135°F, so a cold table drifting a few degrees puts every pan on it in the danger zone.

Protection from contamination

Where raw proteins sit, what's stored under what, what's covered. It matters because cross-contamination moves pathogens from one food to another invisibly, and it's one of the easiest things to fix once you see the pattern.

Surface and equipment sanitizing

Sanitizer buckets, test strips, wiping-cloth storage, cutting boards. It matters because a surface can look clean and still carry what the last product left behind; sanitizing is the step that actually resets it.

Handwashing

When your crew washes, how, and whether the sink is stocked and reachable. It matters because hands touch everything in the kitchen, and handwashing remains one of the most effective food safety controls there is.

Cooling

How big batches come down from cooking temperature. It matters because food cooling slowly in a deep, covered container spends hours in the danger zone, and improper cooling is a classic cause of foodborne illness.

Date marking

Labels on ready-to-eat food held more than 24 hours. It matters because some bacteria, like Listeria, keep growing even at refrigeration temperatures; the date is the control, not the smell test.

Documentation

Food handler cards, your certified food protection manager coverage, temperature logs. It matters because paperwork demerits are the most preventable points on the whole inspection, and they're often the first thing an inspector asks for.

How it works

  1. Book a walk-through

    Start with the free 20 to 30 minute walk-through. I'll tell you honestly whether a mock inspection is what you need.

  2. I inspect and score your kitchen

    Scheduled or unannounced-style, your choice. I walk the whole operation and score it on SNHD's demerit framework.

  3. You get the 48-hour report, and we fix it together

    Every finding with its why and its fix, in plain language. I walk your team through it so the corrections stick.

Why a former inspector

I've experienced food safety from both sides of the table: as a regulatory professional evaluating compliance, and as a quality professional building systems that work in real kitchens.

I know what an inspector looks at first, how findings turn into demerits, and where kitchens lose points they never needed to lose. And to be clear about what that means: I don't work for the Health District anymore. I work for you. What I bring is the knowledge, not a shortcut.

What it costs

Published up front, like everything I charge. For comparison, SNHD's own consultative training starts at $329 for two hours.

Mock inspection pricing
Service What's included Price
Full Mock Inspection Complete SNHD-style walkthrough, demerit scoring, projected grade, and the written report within 48 hours $495
Inspection Readiness Walkthrough 60–90 minutes on site plus a top-5-risks one-pager $249 founding price (list $299)

Every service and package is listed on the pricing page. If your kitchen needs something different, the free walk-through is where we figure that out.

Questions owners ask

Will a mock inspection affect my real SNHD grade?

No. A mock inspection is independent and educational. My role is not to replace your regulatory agency or conduct a government inspection; it is to give you an independent, educational perspective so you can find concerns, strengthen your practices, and walk into the real inspection prepared. Nothing I do changes, influences, or predicts an official SNHD result.

How long does it take?

Plan on two to three hours for the full mock inspection, depending on the size of your operation. The Inspection Readiness Walkthrough runs 60 to 90 minutes.

Do you inspect during service?

Your choice. Real inspectors arrive unannounced, often mid-service, so a during-service visit is the most realistic rehearsal. If that would disrupt your kitchen, we schedule before opening or between rushes. Either way, I stay out of your line's way.

What happens to the report?

It's yours. I don't share it with SNHD, other agencies, or anyone else. It exists to teach you and your team, not to create a record against you.

Should I book the walkthrough or the full mock inspection?

The walkthrough is a fast read on your kitchen: 60 to 90 minutes and a one-pager with your top five risks. The full mock inspection is the complete rehearsal: every area scored, a projected grade, and the full written report. If you're not sure, book the free walk-through first and I'll tell you honestly which one fits.

Let's make your food safety program stronger, simpler, and more effective.

Book a Free Walk-Through

Free, no pressure, at your restaurant. If you don't need help, I'll tell you.

Call (702) 960-3647 Book a Free Walk-Through