"If they have a complex menu with a high volume of people and a complex system of operation, it's harder to run a tighter ship. Some do it very well, though," he said.

Records show that among all types of food establishments, full-service restaurants had the highest average of critical violations per inspection at five. Private club restaurants were close behind with 4.2; cafeterias/buffets had 2.9; retirement homes had 2.7; and fast-food restaurants had 2.6. (See accompanying chart.)

At the other end of the spectrum, establishments with the lowest number of critical violations per inspection tended to have simple menus or to be less busy. They included snow cone stands (0.4 critical violations per inspection); beverage-only sites (0.9); senior citizen centers (0.9); and food and drink carts (1.1).

Ultimate penalty: closure

The New India Palace and the Chinese Gourmet restaurant, 4425 S. State, made two lists they likely wanted to avoid: those with the most violations, and those ordered temporarily closed by inspectors to fix problems.

The Chinese Gourmet was closed by inspectors for just a few hours because its water had been turned off. But the New India Palace, which is now out of business, was closed for three days because of numerous violations that formed what inspectors said was "an imminent health threat."

Among "critical" violations noted at the New India Palace were two instances of reusing dirty pots or utensils; four of keeping foods at unsafe temperatures; one of contamination by employee hands; one for lack of proper hand-washing facilities; and two for improper storage and failure to separate foods as required.

Records show that inspectors ordered a total of 39 food establishments to close temporarily during 2003 and 2004 to fix serious problems. (See accompanying chart.)

They included an Arby's in Crossroads Plaza; a Carl's Jr. at 3535 W. 3500 South; Mi Ranchito, 2747 W. State; the New South Seas restaurant, 23 E. 2100 South; and Tokyo Grill, 140 S. Rio Grande.

Some were closed for less than a day. Others ended up closing permanently.

The most common reason listed for the closures was lack of an operational hand sink at mobile carts and trucks, which was verified 26 times.

"Every cart should have a hand sink that is operational so employees can wash hands after tasks like handling raw foods, or after they take a break. It's their way to remove bacteria and viruses from the hands," Lund said.