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1 <br />2023-2024 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />RESTAURANT EXTERIORS: THE NEGLECTED SPACE <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ISSUE <br /> <br />The exterior trash areas of food service businesses are often unsightly and unsanitary. How can <br />this issue be addressed? <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />Restaurant garbage and food waste is not always contained in designated exterior bins, and may <br />overflow, attracting animals and other undesirable pests. While restaurant interiors are subject to <br />County of San Mateo Health System standards and inspections, restaurant building exteriors are <br />subject to a variety of standards and inspection programs, because each local jurisdiction has its <br />own regulations for sanitation and safety for exteriors. For restaurant exteriors, responsibility for <br />enforcement of local code and for inspection schedules varies from city to city. Generally, <br />inspections are done when complaints are received. The extent of the issues may vary based on <br />the municipality or district, day of the week (garbage collection day), or whether the building <br />backs are visible to the public. <br /> <br />Grand Jury members conducted interviews with County officials, city officials, and waste <br />handlers and performed their own spot checks (admittedly not scientific). A written survey <br />(Appendix B) was sent to all twenty cities and towns in the County. <br /> <br />The Grand Jury found a significant number of restaurant exterior waste storage areas and areas <br />below parklets had clearly deficient, unsanitary, unsightly and odorous conditions. The <br />investigation found that the “standards” for these areas, i.e., how these conditions were <br />monitored, and how codes and policies were enforced, to be inconsistent at best and non-existent <br />in some instances. A quantification of the waste storage area problem proved difficult as many <br />sites and their condition were dependent on the day of the week and their garbage pick-up days. <br /> <br />This Grand Jury report includes recommendations for a more proactive approach to handling the <br />garbage and parklet sanitation problems around restaurant exteriors in San Mateo County, and <br />suggestions for preventive maintenance. <br /> <br /> <br />6.F. - Page 5 of 32 <br />49