Five very popular Westport dining spots failed their health inspections in late December and early January. These restaurants include Parker Mansion, Sherwood Diner, Julian’s Pizza Bar & Kitchen, Jeera Thai, Little Kitchen and Viva Zapata.

The purpose of these health inspections are to address the health and safety of restaurants and prevent the spread of foodborne disease, according to the Westport Weston Health District. The inspections are conducted every three months. Alone, the Westport Weston Health District inspects over 200 food establishments.

“It makes me uncomfortable because I often eat at those restaurants with my family and if I go there regularly I want to know that my food is not contaminated,” Jessica Plotkin ’20said.

The scoring is assessed on a 100 point scale but the health district is hoping to change this to a pass-fail system in the future. Chief Sanitarian Jeffrey Andrews shared with a Westport News reporter that the Sherwood Diner received a 79/100, Viva Zapata received a 75/100 while Julian’s earned the lowest score of 64/100 due to food temperature violations.

A restaurant fails their inspection if they receive lower than a score of 80 or make any very critical violations. The result of an inspection failure calls for a reinspection about two weeks later, Andrews proceeded to explain to Westport News.

However, the Staples High School Cafeteria received a 92 for their inspection.