Quiznos Humbled After Health Department Releases Inspection Grades

Quiznos, a sandwich franchise with over 5000 locations nationwide, is used to scoring well on Health Department inspections. Especially in less competitive markets, the stores consistently receive high marks for their cleanliness, clear signage and lack of vermin. According to those close to various franchisees, this early success eventually got to Quiznos' head.

"I guess because he always did so well on previous inspections, Daryl [Yarbough, owner of a number of North Carolina Quiznos stores] was extremely and outwardly confident," related Fred Gaver, a Hillsboro, North Carolina Subway franchise proprietor. "He would always brag at sandwich conferences about how much he knew about keeping ingredients shielded from customers and proper refrigeration. Sometimes we would even make snide remarks about other people's low scores. I am pretty sure he once made a Jersey Mike's owner cry."

In part due his franchises' previous good grades, Yarbough opened a new Quiznos branch a few months ago in the relatively larger market of Durham, North Carolina. Like his fellow restaurateurs, the sandwich shop had to pass Health Department inspection, the results of which were released last Friday.

"Though some of the other chains, particularly the newbies, are nervous I am quite calm," asserted Yarbough who was first interviewed just prior to when the grades were made known. "I have scored well throughout my career and I am utterly confident that nothing is going to change even considering there are many competitors here with considerable food safety knowledge."

Since the Durham Department of Health (DDOH) releases its scores online and all at once, restaurant owners across the county were anxiously glued to their computer monitors as they awaited the results. At 12:30 p.m., the grades were posted and the DDOH's website almost crashed due to the high traffic.

According to the Health Department, establishments are judged by various criteria including worker hygiene, food freshness, infestation prevention and kitchen cleanliness. The restaurants are graded on a curve with a 95 being the median. The lowest mark an institution can receive is a 90 and the highest generally is 100, though certain exceptional businesses can be bumped up an extra .1 - .3.

By certain accounts, the Durham Quiznos did not fare so well.

"Though I am not sure the exact score Daryl received it couldn't have been good," remarked James Loomis, owner of a competing Subway. "All of a sudden, when we'd see each other he was quite subdued, lacking the typical braggadocio. It seems the sandwich gunner was finally humbled."

At the same time other, usually quiet, franchisees became a little more confident. According to Loomis, Donald Longan, a usually introverted Jimmy John's store owner, was spotted walking around Durham with more swagger than normal. He and other storeowners surmise that Longan must have scored exceptionally well on his inspection, boosting his self-assurance tremendously.

Despite the setback, Quiznos is determined to do better on the next health inspection. Already Yarbough has begun studying the relevant DDOH regulations and asking more experienced stores how they have approached the examination.

The problem, say some, is that no matter how much an establishment improves, it's difficult to overcome poor first year grades.

"Consumers place disproportionate weight on a restaurant's initial scores," stated Theresa Meritt, a food industry expert. "However unfair, initial impressions are so important in this business that even if a restaurant's grades later drop people really don't care. I wish Quiznos luck because that is about the only thing that can save it now."