The high-profile APEC summit in San Francisco is just three weeks away, which will attract thousands of foreign dignitaries.
Now the whole city has mobilized, and the city government personnel in all links are doing their best to improve the appearance of San Francisco. (Sharpening the gun in battle, not happy and light)
Image source: Sanfrancisco Standard, copyright belongs to the original author
However, it was really bad luck for many restaurants in Chinatown, especially the owners of various long-established restaurants...
Image source: Sanfrancisco Standard, copyright belongs to the original author
In recent weeks, San Francisco Department of Public Health inspectors have caused panic in the community by conducting unannounced inspections of several restaurants in Chinatown, several of which have been temporarily closed for health violations.
Steven Lee, owner of the century-old Sanwa restaurant, told The Standard that his business had been briefly suspended.
Later, a Google user put this "closure notice" photo on Google Reviews, which caused a bad impact.
Image source Google, copyright belongs to the original author
Lee said: "We understand that this is not a serious closure, just cooperation with inspections. But shutting us down and posting notices at the front door doesn't do us small businesses the slightest good. ”
He later posted the restaurant's "PASS" notice on Google reviews, hoping to control the damage to the restaurant's reputation.
Image source Google, copyright belongs to the original author
Lee heard rumors that San Francisco city governments will meet before next month's APEC summit
So he hopes the city government should first communicate compliance standards to restaurateurs, rather than violent shutdowns, and consider the difficulties faced by the city's small businesses.
"City governments are putting pressure on small businesses to meet standards," Lee said, "but are they doing their part to keep the streets clean?" ”
He added that the homeless camp outside his restaurant had been around for a long time, but that he had received no response after submitting his report.
Image source: Sanfrancisco Standard, copyright belongs to the original author
The fight between the municipality and Chinatown restaurants is a cliché, and many of the buildings in Chinatown are old and the cost of renovation is frighteningly high, so rats and cockroaches are common.
At the moment, many restaurants and grocery stores in Chinatown are struggling, and a harsh crackdown will make more merchants quit altogether.
Image source: Sanfrancisco Standard, copyright belongs to the original author
After receiving complaints from the store, San Francisco's Department of Public Health also confirmed to the San Francisco Standard that it had indeed conducted multiple inspections of restaurants in Chinatown and suspended several restaurant licenses, but denied that the crackdown was related to APEC.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health statement said: "While tests may be initiated at different dates and times compared to last year, there are no additional or different tests compared to previous years." ”
Typically, the department conducts inspections twice a year, focusing on foodborne illness risk, to ensure the health and safety of all San Franciscolets and visitors."