THE AVERAGE U.S. adult eats 4.8 meals per week in restaurants, a survey indicates. Mandala Research, found the most popular restaurant meal is lunch, with 2.6 meals eaten on average each week — both carry-out and dining — followed by 1.4 sit-down dinners per week and .8 brunch or breakfast meals per week. A recent In addition, a Gallup poll revealed that eight out of 10 Americans eat at fast-food restaurants at least once a month. That has changed only slightly since 2006, the last time Gallup asked the question.

In total, the average American spent $2,505 a year on restaurants in 2012, down from almost $2,700 in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Ann Arbor Restaurant Week is scheduled to kick-off January 12, 2014 and to run through January 17th. Restaurant owners hope to entice both locals and visitors into their establishments during what is typically a slow time of year.

Main Street is a popular destination during Restaurant Week, as the event is sponsored by the Main Street Area Association. Approximately three dozen local eateries are listed as participants this year, including restaurants marked with asterisks that appear in the table to the right.

In anticipation of Restaurant Week, The Ann Arbor Independent looked at the most recent health inspection reports of Main Street eateries participating in Restaurant Week. No Main Street restaurant came away with a spotless record, but Back Alley Gourmet and Espresso Royale both met the criteria restaurant inspection officials suggest diners should equate with a “good routine inspection.” A graph appears at the bottom of the page that lists the name of the restaurant, violations and date of most recent inspection.

A poor routine inspection is the result of repeat violations. The Indy’s present analysis did not include examination of past inspection reports for the Main Street restaurants listed. As such, while Shalimar’s most recent inspection turned up the highest number of priority violations, readers are urged to visit the Washtenaw County Health Department’s website to determine for themselves whether the violations are repeat offenses.

Washtenaw County Restaurant Inspection Reports are available to the public via a portal on the county’s website. The Washtenaw County Health Department handles the inspections then posts reports twice monthly.

There are three main categories of restaurant health inspection violations: priority items, priority foundation items and core items. Priority and Priority Foundation violations are more likely than core violations to lead to contamination of food or to result in illness if not corrected.

According to Health Department officials, “a good routine inspection report” would have:

• No priority or priority foundation violations
• No repeat violations
•  Few core violations

A typical routine restaurant inspection report may have:

•  A few priority or priority foundation violations.
•  No repeat priority or priority foundation violations
•  A small number of core violations

A poor routine inspection report generally has:

• Several priority or priority foundation violations
• Repeat priority, priority foundation or core violations
• Repeat core violations

Officials are careful to point out that the presence of violations in a past inspection report does not necessarily mean that an establishment has the same violations today. Furthermore, large establishments with extensive menus will generally have more violations than small establishments with simple menus.

This does not mean that large establishments are less safe than smaller ones. So when comparing inspection reports from different establishments, consider whether they are of similar size and have similar menus.

The Washtenaw County Health Department maintains the most current inspection reports, as well as past reports. To view reports, visit the county website: http://www.ewashtenaw.gov.

SIDEBAR:  State of Michigan Health Inspections of Ann Arbor Health Food,  Produce and Grocery Stores

THE MICHIGAN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) licenses and inspects over 19,000 grocery and convenience stores, food processors and food warehouses.

On the state website (https://secure1.state.mi.us/misafe/Default.aspx), visitors can access food inspection reports for retail food establishments (primarily grocery and convenience stores), for all active establishments inspected by MDARD.

Routine inspections are typically conducted at a 6, 12 or 18-month frequency, depending on the type and complexity of the food handling at the establishment.

Violations are items that, if not addressed, may lead to foodborne illness, food contamination or an environmental health hazard.  More severe violations that are not corrected during a routine inspection may require a follow-up inspection within ten days or less.

State of Michigan inspection reports are available for the following popular Ann Arbor health food, produce and grocery stores where locals pop in to grab desserts, lunches at salad bars, buffets and from selections of prepared foods:

ALADDIN’S MARKET, 3188 PACKARD RD

ARBOR FARMS INC., 2103 W STADIUM BLVD

BABO: A MARKET BY SAVA,403 E WASHINGTON

BIG CITY SMALL WORLD BAKERY, CAFE, 500 MILLER

COPERNICUS EUROPEAN DELICATESSEN, 617 S MAIN ST

CUPCAKE STATION HOLDINGS LLC., 116 E LIBERTY ST

FOODS OF INDIA, 1143 BROADWAY ST

JEFFERSON MARKET & CAKERY, 609 W JEFFERSON

PEOPLES FOOD CO OP, 216 N FOURTH AVE

PRODUCE STATION, 1629 S STATE

Y & I KOREAN MARKET INC., 3893-3895 PLATT RD