Before you try a new restaurant, you can look up its health inspection results in about thirty seconds — for free. This guide shows you exactly how to check a restaurant's health inspection score, what the violations actually mean, and why a restaurant's star rating tells you almost nothing about its kitchen.
The fastest way: Food Check Score
Food Check Score is a free restaurant inspection lookup tool with more than 83,000 official inspection records. Type a restaurant's name, and you get its inspection history, violations, and a simple score anyone can read — no government portal maze, no PDF downloads. It works great on your phone, right in the parking lot.
What a health inspection score actually measures
Health inspectors check the things you can't see from the dining room: food holding temperatures, cross-contamination practices, handwashing, pest evidence, dish sanitization, and employee health policies. Violations are typically split into:
- Priority (critical) violations — things that can directly make you sick: chicken held at unsafe temperatures, raw meat stored over ready-to-eat food, no hot water at the handwashing sink.
- Core (non-critical) violations — maintenance and process issues: a torn door gasket, a missing thermometer, unlabeled containers.
One core violation on an otherwise clean report is normal life in a working kitchen. A pattern of repeat priority violations across multiple inspections is the red flag.
Why star ratings don't tell you this
Online reviews measure the dining room: taste, service, vibes. Inspections measure the kitchen. A restaurant can have 4.8 stars and a rough inspection history at the same time — reviewers simply can't see what inspectors see. The two sources answer different questions, and smart diners check both.
How to check scores in your state
Every state publishes inspection data differently — some counties have searchable portals, some publish PDFs, some only respond to records requests. Food Check Score pulls official data into one free search so you don't have to learn your county's system. Coverage is growing constantly, with tens of thousands of restaurants already searchable.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a restaurant's health inspection score for free?
Use Food Check Score — search the restaurant's name and see its official inspection results and violations instantly, free.
What is a bad health inspection score?
Systems vary by state, but repeat priority violations — unsafe food temperatures, cross-contamination, pest evidence — are the signal that matters more than any single number.
Do restaurants have to show you their inspection report?
In many jurisdictions the latest report must be available on request or posted. You can skip the awkward conversation by checking online before you go.
How often are restaurants inspected?
Typically one to three times per year, plus follow-ups after violations and complaint-driven visits. That's why the trend across inspections matters more than one report.
Check before you eat. Look up any restaurant free at Food Check Score — 83,000+ official inspection records and counting.