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A typical day

Four or five inspections, unannounced. Walk in, show identification, start at the back: cooler temperatures, food held hot enough, raw meat stored below ready-to-eat food, handwashing sink stocked and not blocked, sanitizer at the right strength, evidence of pests. You write each violation as you go and explain it before you leave, because most owners want to fix it. If something is serious enough you can suspend the permit on the spot. The afternoon is reports, follow-up visits, complaints from the public, and sometimes a call from the epidemiologists: three people are sick, go find out what they ate.