Page 36 of A Perfect Match
Thankfully I have plenty to keep me busy, like this entirely new staff I’ve hired, and this brand-new restaurant vibrating on the cusp of opening.When Friday rolls around, I’m ready for the health department.This is the final inspection to clear us before open—and once we get the green light, I’m doing a soft launch for lunch.I’ve got the braised short ribs tender and waiting in the kitchen, with my new sous-chef Brady overseeing the progress.
I’ve been teasing this soft launch on social media all week.Word has been spreading around Bayshore about an up-and-coming restaurant with a reality TV crew, and I see the rubberneckers daily to prove it.Everything is coming together nicely.
Perfectly, almost.
I wonder if I should be suspicious.
“Mr.Krueger?”A very tall and lanky man enters the dining room at nine on the dot.I can tell by the clipboard and his scrutinizing gaze that he’s from the health department.
“Hey, Jerome!Great to finally meet you.”I hurry his way, wiping my hands on my black apron before I offer to shake.My heart starts racing as I run over the map of the restaurant in my mind’s eye.I’m accustomed to health department inspections after operating Fork & Claw with Mav for so long, even though I know firsthand how crossing all your t’s and dotting every last i doesn’t exempt you from a surprise health code violation.
But I’ve got this one in the bag.I’ve been working my ass off, and I’m minutes away from the finish line.
“You too,” Jerome says, shaking my hand firmly.But his voice is devoid of emotion, and I can tell he’s not here for chit-chat.“I’ll let you know if I have any questions about what I see.”
“Sure, yeah.”I gesture around.“Have at it.”
I glance back at Pat and the camera crew, who aren’t filming during the inspection.My two lunchtime servers, Jackie and Tina, linger near the front wall of windows.Tension crackles in the air as I try to busy myself straightening up the dining room, while keeping an eye on Jerome’s movements.He’s immediately making notes on his clipboard, and I don’t like that one bit.Then he disappears into the kitchen, and I wonder if I should follow him.
“It’ll be great,” Pat assures me, as though he can sense my mounting worry.
“Yeah.We’re more than prepared.”But my words feel hollow for some reason.“He’s gonna go check out my sexy walk-in and say, ‘You know what?I’ve seen all I need to see.Ready to open.’”
Jackie and Tina snicker.
I migrate to the kitchen doors, peering through the plastic windows at the top.I can see Jerome temping the freezer in the back while Brady looks sufficiently occupied.“He’ll probably just want to live in the kitchen, it’s so nice.”
“It’s one of the cleanest ones I’ve ever seen,” Tina says brightly.
“And it’ll stay that way.Didn’t I tell you, Tina?We have mandatory four-hour deep cleans every night.”She sends me a scared look, and I crack up laughing.“Sorry.Not a good boss joke on opening day.”
The three of us shoot the shit while Jerome remains in the kitchen.I’m doing my best to distract myself by cracking food jokes and quizzing Jackie and Tina about the soft launch menu.They’re holding their own as I pepper them with questions about the types of cheese we use and where our buns come from.They even manage to laugh at my best food joke of the day:Why did the diner on the moon get bad reviews?No atmosphere.
It’s an agonizing, eternal wait for Jerome to emerge—but when he finally does, three thousand minutes after he first entered my kitchen, he looks grim.
“Okay, I’ve seen all I need to see.”He comes to a stop in front of me, scribbling something on his clipboard.“I’ve made a note of all the violations I spotted—”
“Violations?”I can’t believe my ears.
He looks up at me, annoyance flashing across his face.“Yes.Here in Bayshore we take our food service code very seriously.”
“And so do I,” I hurry to add.“What issues did you find?”
“Your sani-rag was outside of the bucket.It must be immersed in the sanitization liquid at all times.Your prep table fridge registered a temp of forty-two degrees, which is in the danger zone.It must be below forty-one degrees.”
“The rag is easy, we can pop it right in that bucket.And I think I know why the prep fridge is clocking high.Brady was probably rustling around in there right as you came in.Can you re-temp?”
He sends me a long look.“Additionally, your dining room is over capacity.This building is cleared for max fifty occupants but you have seating here for sixty.”
“Easy fix, I’ll throw three of my tables in the trash right now.Was there anything else?”
His eyes narrow.My jokes aren’t landing with this one.
“I’ll be sending you a copy of your report.Please sign here.”He pushes the clipboard my way.“Then we can set a time for a re-inspection.”
Once again, the words aren’t computing.“Uh, Jerome, we’re set to open in an hour…”
“Not without clearance you aren’t.”
