Restaurant Inspections: Domino's and Papa John's

Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 4, two pizza chains were inspected in the Lorton area. For prior restaurant inspection reports, click here.

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy to see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

Inspectors grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

Below, find the latest restaurant inspection from the Virginia Department of Health. These inspections reflect visits from inspectors during the last few weeks. Some of the violations were corrected immediately during the recent inspections.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Domino’s Pizza
7772 Gunston Plz
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
No violations were found during the inspection

Papa John’s Pizza
7756-C Gunston Plaza Drive
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
Critical: One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete.
Non-critical: The person in charge (PIC) has a valid certificate of successful completion of a Certified Food Manager (CFM) exam but does not possess the CFM card issued by ORS Interactive, Inc.
Non-critical: There was no temperature measuring device located in cold holding equipment.