Lubbock Needs More Restaurants With Open Kitchens

Yes, I am a weirdo. I'm also someone with a lot of friends in the restaurant business.

A while back I adopted a personal policy and it's simple, I only eat at restaurants where I can see the kitchen (or prep area). I like to be able to see everything going on and whether it looks clean or not. Believe it or not, I've yet to spot a restaurant with an open kitchen concept that was messy.

I'm sure I'm just looking at whether they are messy. They could be doing a bad job leaving surfaces full of germs, but at least an attempt is being made to keep things presentable. This at least will help a bit with cross-contamination.

Is this weird, and will you notice it from now on? Sure it's weird, but the next time you're in Rosa's, a Wendy's, Pei Wei, or even a Cane's Chicken Fingers, take a peak. Sure, not everything is visible, but there's enough visible to keep you comfortable.

I do realize that the restaurants named and the ones I've mentioned are "quick-serve" type restaurants and this type of thing is not doable by larger restaurants. I also know that a lot of those larger menu restaurants do take advantage of their 'behind closed doors' setup. Sorry to be obtuse, but I'm not going to risk putting people on blast.

I am thankful for the food inspectors that get out there and check all of the kitchens, yes some of it seems punitive but it's like the Van Halen clause in their tour riders. In case you didn't know Van Halen had it in their contracts that they get a bowl of M&M's with the brown ones removed. They didn't have a problem with the brown M&M's, it was about whether the people taking care of them were paying attention. So you may think, someone tagged for having a drink without a lid may be no big deal, but it shows they aren't paying attention to the rules.

Again, you do you and enjoy what you enjoy, but in a competitive restaurant environment showing the customer your commitment to health and cleanliness could be a clear advantage.