CREJ - Building Dialogue - June 2017
As culinary design consultants, every project we work on involves the health department in one way or another. Due to our inevitable crossover, we encounter many misconceptions and questions: “I’m only adding an espresso machine. Do I need to submit paperwork for that? I’ve heard the process takes years; can we skip it? Do we really need their approval?” The answer is, yes, you really do need their approval, and working with the health department is not nearly as painful as it’s built up to be. There are many factors at play when you’re working with the health department; every project is unique and should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, but, in general, here are some suggestions and helpful tips that if followed will make your next project with the health department run smoother than ever. Understand What’s Required Knowing is half the battle – and with government entities, this couldn’t reign more true. At the start of a project, head directly to the project’s city or county government-run websites. The majority of these sites now have, at the very least, downloadable forms and health department review packets and/or checklists. Others have visual charts or guides that walk you through the process. Some even offer form submission portals or updates to your status online. No matter what your project is, starting here will lead you down a good path until the application has been approved. After you have the information packet, save it, and share it with the team. Continually dig it out at project milestones to keep the requirements at top of mind and avoid anything slipping through the cracks. Give Yourself Extra Time Many government offices are juggling responsibilities with a limited staff and can only dedicate one day per week to review submissions, while others have full-time employees filling this role. The ambiguity here can be frustrating, but as long as you know what you have to submit and compile it earlier rather than later, you can almost always avoid further delays. Due to new data, new laws or other factors, the health department has the right to make changes at any time – sometimes even after the first round of comments. Nothing is set in stone, so, again, adding in buffer time can be immensely helpful, especially when working within tight deadlines. Is your client utilizing other outlets such as a food truck or side catering business? You might need to submit additional forms for that, instantly doubling the amount of work and adding onto the timeframe. Being realistic and building in buffer time can help with unexpected deviations. Be Flexible with the Design Ask questions and collaborate with your kitchen designer. Understanding intentions, whether they be legal, personal preference or something else influential, before asking for revisions will save everyone time in the long run. Trust us – we don’t just all love hand sinks so much that we all want to place them everywhere; it’s required. Flooring, walk-ins, sinks, janitorial areas, exhaust hoods and food shields – their placement and finishes all are considered hot areas when it comes to pleasing the health department. Review and re-review them with your kitchen consultant. This will not only ensure they are correct, but also will help you feel comfortable with the decisions and confident enough to discuss them with the health department if questions arise. If there are any changes or modifications that come up in a first-round review with the health department, make sure to share those with the team and get them taken care of immediately. Nothing’s worse than having to wait for another round of changes because the first ones weren’t properly dealt with. Don’t forget that it’s not just food service areas! Personal belonging storage, water heating systems, lighting – these are all examples of extra areas that the health department may need to approve. Going back to our first point, understanding what’s required and avoiding simple mistakes during the submission will end up making you the hero. Amoller@ricca.com lhomersham@ricca.com