Detroit launches placard program to notify people of restaurants' food safety

Detroit ― People going out to eat in Detroit will start seeing placards near the entrance to restaurants, notifying them if the establishment is in compliance with the state's food safety code.

The placards — which come in red, green and white, each of which have a different meaning depending on inspection results — are part of Detroit's new Dining with Confidence ordinance. It took effect Tuesday for the city's 1,900 licensed food establishments.

"We want to make sure that if you are a Detroiter, if you are a visitor to any restaurant, you can feel confident going to any restaurant," Detroit Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair Razo said, "and when you walk in, you know that the food is safe and it's prepared in a very healthy way."

The Detroit Health Department, along with Detroit City Councilmember Scott Benson, held a media briefing Tuesday at Table No. 2 in Greektown to announce the ordinance's launch. The health department also conducted an inspection of Table No. 2 and gave the first placard since the ordinance's debut to the restaurant's chef. Fair Razo said food service establishments are required to post their placard near their entrance so it's visible to patrons.

She said a green placard means that the restaurant is in compliance, and it's safe to eat there. These restaurants have no serious food safety violations, or they fixed all of them during their inspection, according to the health department. If a restaurant has a white placard, that means that it isn't due for a scheduled inspection yet or that it's not in compliance yet.

If an eatery has a red placard, that means that it's closed but is working with the health department to re-open, Fair Razo said. These restaurants either don't have a valid food service license, have a serious health risk or are at the final step of enforcement. The placards will be rolled out gradually.

Benson, the council member, said Detroit has had several high-profile incidents where restaurants were serving "what could be poisonous food" to residents in his district.

"What you're doing is really saying that poor Black people, or low-income Black people, don't deserve to be able to dine with confidence," he said.

He said the city started a pilot program, which ran from October 2023 to April 2024 and allowed restaurants to get a green placard if they were in compliance. Approximately 250 restaurants voluntarily participated in this program.

Fair Razo said that more than 1,900 restaurants and food trucks are inspected by the health department each year, and the department also inspects temporary food stands at events like the NFL Draft and Detroit Grand Prix. Approximately 15% of routine inspections require some kind of follow-up to verify correction, she said in a statement.

She said 45 establishments in the city are currently out of compliance, which is not the same as being closed, she said. In a typical year, Detroit Health Department issues 3 to 10 closure notices for severe health hazards and a smaller number after multiple steps of the progressive enforcement process.

Omar Mitchell, the executive chef at Table No. 2, told The News that the ordinance is "long overdue."

"It's just important that the consumers know what's happening behind those four walls," he said. "I once had food poisoning from a restaurant out of the country, and I thought I was going to die. It was that scary, and so you just need to know what's happening in those kitchens."

asnabes@detroitnews.com