AU's main dining facilities on the main and Tenley campuses have failed health inspections recently.
During an inspection on March 21, 2005, TDR was cited for having dirty food storage areas and for not protecting food products and ingredients. Since 2001, TDR has had 31 violations, 22 of which were "critical," the most serious type of violation. As recent as 2004, the facility was cited for storing a box of vegetables on a trashcan. Tenley Cafe on the Tenley campus has 144 demerits from 37 violations since January 2000.
TDR's worst performance was in March 2002, when it were cited 30 demerits or five critical violations.
This news comes amidst the university requiring sophomores next year to purchase at least a 75-block meal plan. Why, we ask, should students be forced to eat in TDR when its health record is so abysmal? Even the manager says she would be hesitant to eat in a restaurant with violations like TDR's.
According to the health department's grading scale, TDR scored a mere passing grade -a "C," while most schools in the District earn a "B," This is unacceptable. Bon Appetit has a monoply over on-campus dining options, leaving students with little choice but to risk getting sick on TDR food.
Additionally, AU students and their parents are not paying "C" prices for this food. Students deserve better, especially those with few other dining options. No one knows when the next inspections will be, and with a new, easier to pass inspection system, it's scary to think of what could go unnoticed.
The Department of Health says perfection is not east but you "can always mop a floor"
