Over easy, hold the hantavirus

Calgarians are far too forgiving on health violations
Published June 10, 2010  by Drew Anderson in Best of Calgary

I’m an unabashed breakfast man. It’s literally the first thing I think about every day. Eggs. Toast. Grapefruit. Coffee, juice, granoloa, pancakes, waffles, crepes and hash browns. I like it all. But there is one thing I do not like, and never will: mouse shit. I don’t want it near my morning meal and I sure as shit don’t want it in my morning meal.

And that’s why I’m a bit confused. How is it possible that a restaurant chain that amassed $61,780 worth of fines in five locations over the course of 12 years, including mouse droppings in food, came in second as the best place in Calgary to start your day? Talk about a comeback.

Here’s a little gem from the provincial court judge’s ruling that finally put a price on the consistent failings of owner Roxanne Taylor-King to fix pervasive problems in her restaurants. “AHS [Alberta Health Services] received several complaints including problems with pests and a centipede baked into the top of a mini bun.” I don’t know about you, but if that sounds like the second best place in Calgary to eat brekkie, there is a serious problem with our morning dining options.

So what did Taylor-King have to say for herself when she was finally punished for putting her customers’ health at risk over and over again? Well, she blamed the boom on not being able to get contractors, she blamed the high turnover of staff and she said she’d do better. Speaking to the Calgary Sun about the large fine after her court appearance, Taylor-King said: “It’s not easy, in these times it could conceivably put us out of business. It’s definitely a wake-up call for me.”

So, how is the owner, who didn’t get a proper food handling permit herself until just before the court case last January, doing since then? Well, there are 45 fresh violations at five locations since January 22, 2010, according to the AHS website. The only location to avoid violations was Nellie's on 90th. Some of these are minor infractions that just about every restaurant incurs at some point, but guess what? It includes evidence of vermin onsite and improper food storage, two major, and pervasive, problems that were cited in the judge’s ruling earlier this year.

I have eaten at Nellie’s, which means that my health was put at risk, not through an oversight, but because of a systematic unwillingness to heed warnings and implement basic safety precautions in food handling, sanitation and storage. And now it looks like the same pattern may be repeating. That’s unacceptable.

I trust that when I go out to eat, the place I am going to is reasonably clean. I’m not a bacteria freak either. I think you should roll around in the dirt from time to time and I don’t obsessively wash my hands. But mouse shit? Centipedes? Forty-five violations in the five months since receiving a huge fine?

“She was given many, many, many chances and in the Judge’s view she should not have been in operation,” according to a summary of the court decision against Taylor-King.

So go ahead generous Calgary, give Taylor-King many, many, many more chances to clean up her act, but I’m going to pass. The only little black flakes I enjoy on my eggs are from freshly ground pepper.

 

 


Comments: 33

Leah* wrote:

AGREED! Every time I go by a Nellie's it is full and I struggle to understand why. I think it is a lack of imagination on the part of Calgarians. And a lack of taste buds.

on Jun 10th, 2010 at 10:04am Report Abuse

Lindsey Wallis wrote:

Once upon a time there weren't that many options for the morning after in Calgary. It was Nellie's and my old stand-by, the Lido (though I don't think I want to see their inspector's report either). But now, with so many fantastic (and just as cheap) options, what gives?

on Jun 10th, 2010 at 12:14pm Report Abuse

dominika wrote:

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I had the same thoughts and opinions when the Nellie's fines were first reported in the Calgary Herald a few months back, and have never gone back. I couldn't agree with you more and wish that for once we would expect the bare minimum (not met at Nellie's clearly) with our service and standards in Calgary - when did trash become worthy?

on Jun 10th, 2010 at 9:38pm Report Abuse

ZacCrossismyalias wrote:

I'm not so quick to blame the owner. When you simultaneously run 5 or 6 separate restaurants, all you can do is have faith in the supervisors and staff to run the place right. I'm not a business owner, but I think it's hardly a snap to replace an entire staff of that size. Also, a sizable chunk of those health infractions were imposed retroactively when the buildings were bought. I hardly see that as fair.

On the topic of health inspectors, it should noted that they are notorious for being grade A assholes who will dick you over if you give them the slightest chance. My family used to run a rural hotel and bar, and the inspectors would even check under the beds for DUST, and if any was found, that' was an infraction. I reiterate, dust, in hotel rooms that would be rented out once every couple of months at best. Flying Spaghetti Monster help you though if you got on their shitlist, because you could pretty much kiss your business goodbye. Take them busting you on the smallest thing again, but have them ride it until you're out of business.

The writer says he put his life on the line when he ate there. Well I have some news for you; you put your life on the line every time you dine in a restaurant, pub, or diner. Ask someone that's worked in a kitchen or read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. This shit is business as usual, and if you're so worried about your health inside a Nellie's, you shouldn't dine out anywhere, period.

on Jun 11th, 2010 at 12:49pm Report Abuse

Drew Anderson wrote:

I worked in restaurants most of my life. My first job was as a busboy at Cannery Row in Calgary. I have bussed, bartended and served for far too many years. I understand what goes on in restaurants of every shape, size and style. This is not business as usual.

It is the responsibility of the ownership to run an effective business and to maintain the standards of a restaurant. The owner is absolutely to blame for letting those standards fall to such a horrifying level. And for failing to rectify the situation, even after getting massive fines. Clean up your act or be prepared to get called out.

You say that the health inspectors will drive you out of business if you're on their bad side? Continuous infractions of varying levels of severity over the course of 12 years, culminating in almost $62,000 worth of fines and Nellie's is still in business. Apparently, the inspectors in Calgary are far more lax than their rural counterparts. The judge in the case was shocked that these restaurants were still operating. So where are the vindictive health inspectors that wield so much power?

And for the record, I didn't say I put my life at risk, I said I put my health at risk. There's an important distinction there. But, Hantavirus is lethal is just over half the cases, so if there truly are droppings in the food, there is a legitimate possibility that yes, people could be putting their life on the line too.

on Jun 11th, 2010 at 1:17pm Report Abuse

Maureen McNamee wrote:

Hey Lindsay, instead of worrying about the Lido's health inspector's report, just check it out online at http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/health-inspections/index.jsp. You'll be pleased to learn that compared to Nellie's, the Lido is (almost) squeaky clean.

on Jun 11th, 2010 at 3:37pm Report Abuse

aaron.me wrote:

Nice one Drew. I own a business a few doors down from Nellie's on 17th Ave and 9th St. I stopped eating there over a year ago after continually being disappointed with the quality of food and cleanliness of the restaurant. I too worked in restaurants for years before opening up my clothing store and I can't stand slack standards when it comes to health regulations.

ZacCross, I've worked in restaurants with only one location and restaurants with over 100 locations. It doesn't matter how many there are, food safety must be a priority and it's up to the owner of the company to make sure proper regulations are taught and followed. As a small business owner I need to take full responsibility for EVERYTHING that goes on, my business is my whole life.

Thanks for the article Drew, I strongly believe this type of thing should not slip by unnoticed. I pass Nellies every day, although it's much quieter than before the court ruling, there's still people in there. All I want to do is plaster their windows with this article. There's tons of alternatives out there. Try Red's Diner that just opened up, Galaxy Diner, Avenue Diner, ANYTHING but Nellies!

on Jun 11th, 2010 at 6:51pm Report Abuse

tan wrote:


Is there really nothing better out there to write about??? Im sure there are more intresting things then Nellies, I am so sick of the bull that people write, Sure people seemed to have no complaints when things were good, nevermind good, GREAT and there were huge line ups outside. Has everyone forgotten what forgivness really is?????? There are millions of restaurants in this city and for some reason, Nellie's seems to be the only one that has made mistakes. DIDNT THINK SO!!!! If Nellie's Is such a awful place why are you still talking about it??

on Jun 13th, 2010 at 12:13am Report Abuse

Drew Anderson wrote:

We're still talking about it because readers voted it the second best place for breakfast in the city in this very issue. Seems fairly applicable and timely to me.

on Jun 14th, 2010 at 9:17am Report Abuse

tan wrote:

I find it so intresting that the same place that you are credisizing actually PAID for an ad to be placed in your paper "Thanking" all the great people of Calgary for voting there restaurant 2nd best place to eat breakfast.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 1:21am Report Abuse

tan wrote:

Doesn't part of the advertisment pay for your paper?? Which means is paying for part of your wage, which means you had no problem taking money from someone you credisize so badly!!!! Just one more thing, You put your health at risk everytime you get up in the mornig and step out the door, think about it!!!

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 1:38am Report Abuse

mdunphy wrote:

I don't get all the fuss. If you don't like it, don't eat there.
I looked up many of my favorite places to eat through that link that Rainbow posted up there - they all seem to have strikes against them...not just Nellies.

Being the Health Inspector must be like being the parking guy. No one really likes you and you can totally fuck with someones day if they express that dislike.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 9:37am Report Abuse

Lindsey Wallis wrote:

Um, I think you mean "criticize" tan. And if FFWD only wrote nice articles about people/businesses that pay for ads I would stop reading their paper. Editorial content of a paper should not be affected by who pays for advertising.

I agree with mdunphy that on the AHS website, even Rouge had infractions...but not nearly the number seen at Nellie's. And it is hard to tell from those reports the severity of the infraction. ie. it seems that "vermin proofing" could mean anything from having a space in the back door mice could come through to having mouse poo in your hashbrowns.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 11:09am Report Abuse

KennaBurima wrote:

I almost don't want to post it, but honestly the BEST breakfast place in Calgary has to be Overeasy on Edmonton Trail. Cheap, delish, healthy, serving staff are awesome, kitchen staff looks like they're having fun and I've never had to wait in line. I've been many, many times and always been really pleased with my breakfast experience.

Damn it. Now that I've posted this, I'm gonna have to wait in line.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 12pm Report Abuse

Maureen McNamee wrote:

And on that note, Overeasy has no violations on its inspection reports.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 2:29pm Report Abuse

PAYitFWD wrote:

I believe that both Drew Anderson and the editor of FFWD showed extremely poor taste in writing this article. Especially after taking a good chunk of change to run a Nellies advertisement in the very issue that this article ran. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

With all the fines and bad publicity a few months ago, I think Nellies has learned their lesson by now...so ease up already! If you have nothing new to write about, choose another profession. Or, change the name of your paper to Fast Rewind.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 4:05pm Report Abuse

Drew Anderson wrote:

Well, the point of the article was that Nellie's hasn't learned its lesson. If you read the article, you would note that there have been 45 violations since January 22 of this year. That is not learning your lesson.

Ads do not affect coverage, that's not the way a newspaper works, nor should it.

And just to be clear, I am one of the editors.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 4:33pm Report Abuse

Jeremy Klaszus wrote:

Here's the thing, people: at FFWD advertising and editorial are kept separate. What this means is that the editorial staff don't know which ads are going into the paper on any given Thursday. Editors don't consider ads when making decisions about what to run or what not to run.

That's called journalistic integrity, not bad taste.

PAYitFWD, you write: "With all the fines and bad publicity a few months ago, I think Nellies has learned their lesson by now." Obviously not, if they have 45 violations since January (the month Nellie's got fined and earned itself all those miserable headlines)...

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 4:34pm Report Abuse

PAYitFWD wrote:

Drew Anderson wrote: How is it possible that a restaurant chain that amassed $61,780 worth of fines in five locations over the course of 12 years, including mouse droppings in food, came in second as the best place in Calgary to start your day?

I'm guessing that your "Best of Calgary" is a farce then, designed to sell ad space that pays you to keep your "journalistic integrity".

Stop wasting paper, and give me some real news people.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 5:38pm Report Abuse

fang wrote:

PAYitFWD said:
I'm guessing that your "Best of Calgary" is a farce then, designed to sell ad space that pays you to keep your "journalistic integrity".

And you're guessing this because your small brain can't fathom that people still ignorantly eat at Nellies regardless of the health violations and that these same people vote in the "Best of Calgary"?

Your sound logic sure has convinced me.

Hint: That's called sarcasm.

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 7:38pm Report Abuse

calgaryhumper wrote:

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.....Nellies....gross....yes

Lindsey Wallis: Pointing out a spelling error in an online debate is as bad as making one. For all you know the author may not have a good grasp of the english language. L-A-M-E

on Jun 15th, 2010 at 11:52pm Report Abuse

aaron.me wrote:

I wonder how many people on this forum actually read the article instead of skipping straight to the comments. Drew I think you have your answer as to how Nellie's was voted 2nd. There's obviously enough people in Calgary who are sold on the brand so hard that they would rather personally attack you as a journalist than attempt to understand the notion that this restaurant continues to toss their health and well-being aside. Or maybe they just like eating feces.

on Jun 16th, 2010 at 12:51pm Report Abuse

Doug S wrote:

I was surprised when Nellie's showed up on the Best Of list, too, considering the backlash in the media back in January. Of course, I'm also surprised The Ship can win sexiest staff, or that Klein can show up anywhere on a most beloved Calgarian poll (considering what I suspect to be the typical climate of FFWD's readers).

I'm one of those who would've been willing to give Nellie's a second chance (they made the best clubhouse I've eaten), until reading this editorial. 45 more violations in less than 6 months?! Good grief. Taylor-King just doesn't take health concerns seriously, so I won't be giving her any more of my money.

I'll walk up 4th to Red's.

on Jun 16th, 2010 at 3:27pm Report Abuse

Julez wrote:

Wow.

Drew, you're completely right. That woman has not learned her lesson, nor does it seem that she gives a rats a**. What a joke to have continued infractions after such a public wrist slapping. Most restaurants do incur some sort of infractions, as no one is perfect - but to continue to ignore infestations and faecal matter contaminating food is just sheer negligence.

If this owner is having such a hard time finding quality people that she can trust, perhaps she should consider offering competitive wages to attract quality people. However, blaming this on your staff is just trying to pass the buck anyway. You own the business, so get off your a** and do something about it.

And as for the complaints about the advertising vs. the article... Really?? So the truth should be hidden because Nelly's paid for an ad? Umm.. Why would anyone read the news if this was the norm? Should we not say anything bad about the BP oil spill if they advertise in the paper? Well sh*t. Could you imagine?

on Jun 16th, 2010 at 7:48pm Report Abuse

She-ra wrote:

My sig-O and I stumble into the Nellie's on 7th and 17th just about every Saturday morning because the waitress, Jenny, is sweet and tells us hilarious stories. The food's pretty good, as is the coffee, and neither of us have gotten sick from it.
it does seem like the owner needs more than a slap on the wrist to clean up her act, and I think they need to do some serious redecorating!!! That said, I care about how the server makes me feel when I'm hungover and in need of coffee and sourdough toast more than I care about the odd centipede in my muffin... as my dad would say, "that's pure protein". As long as there's a Jenny to tip, we'll keep going.

on Jun 17th, 2010 at 12:57pm Report Abuse

HLou wrote:

First of all, kudos Drew for NOT selling out and keeping your mouth shut just because Nellie's paid for advertising in FFWD. I hate to think where the media would be if everyone thought like Tan.

Taylor-King's blatant disregard for the public's safety was obvious when the case landed in court; decades of infractions combined with high staff turnover lead to one common denominator.

[post edited by admin]

on Jun 19th, 2010 at 11:44am Report Abuse

Nine Grams wrote:

I stopped going to Nellie's when she started serving the 'Freedom Toast' - that should have been enough for anyone.

on Jun 19th, 2010 at 8:12pm Report Abuse

Pearl wrote:

Thank you Drew! Nellie's clients need a new venue and don't know how to find one? Jeezus. Or maybe it's the ease of proximity to where they stumble from after a Saturday night binge that keeps them going back to the big N - N for nausea. How about Belmont, Galaxie, or that new place on 5th - Red's?

on Jul 4th, 2010 at 6:25pm Report Abuse

squibb wrote:

While I respect your right to your own opinion. Hypocritical is the word that comes to mind. In the very magazine you revisit an issue that is daily being resolved you advertise Nellies Restaurant. Maybe the buying public have a more forviging nature and since the Foothills Hospital is also receiving health infractions at a rather astonishing rate why not do a story uncovering all the truths about Health Code Violations instead of just focusing on one. By the way the Foothills Hospital is governed by the Health Department maybe they should clean their own house so to speak.

on Sep 16th, 2010 at 6:17am Report Abuse

Drew Anderson wrote:

Le sigh.

OK. Let's go over it one more time. Advertising and editorial are separate. One has nothing to do with the other. If people want to pay for an ad, let them, it doesn't buy them immunity. Hypocrisy? I'm not convinced you know what that word means.

Deep breath.

OK. Let's go over this one more time. The reason this was written about is because Nellie's was voted second best place for breakfast in the best of Calgary issue, where this article appeared. Therefore, relevant and necessary.

Daily being resolved eh? Work there? Own the place perhaps? Give me some solid examples and a clean bill of health and I still won't eat at a restaurant that for so long was so ignorant and focused on the bottom line that they put their patrons health at risk.

Are we done yet?

on Sep 16th, 2010 at 10:07am Report Abuse

sickgrrll wrote:

.....and closed down again.

https://twitter.com/SClarkNews/status/299338689211928576/photo/1

on Feb 6th, 2013 at 11:46pm Report Abuse

Redd3vil wrote:

And...I'd say Nellies is done, but prolly...Calgarians will keep going albeit in smaller numbers, until someone gets like super sick or dead.

on Feb 17th, 2013 at 6:37pm Report Abuse

sickgrrll wrote:

Nope - Walked past it today and it was packed. It's a perfect demonstration of the apathetic nature of a typical Calgarian.

on Feb 18th, 2013 at 1am Report Abuse


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