Depending on the address, one of three different health departments will be inspecting your kitchen. Businesses in Arlington get the county’s Public Health Division. Inside the City of Alexandria it’s the Alexandria Health Department. And a lot of places with an Alexandria mailing address, in the 22306 to 22312 and 22315 ZIP codes along Route 1, are really in Fairfax County, so the Fairfax County health department handles those. All three hold cold food to the same FDA Food Code number, 41 F or below.
Getting the tech into the building
Kitchens around here are often in basements or high-rises, and parking can be scarce. It saves time if you can tell us:
- where the tech can park or unload, and the loading dock hours if there are any
- whether they’ll need a badge, an escort or the freight elevator
- where the condensing unit is, if you know (roof, basement, mechanical room)
- which door to use, especially in Old Town where deliveries come through the back alley
There’s more detail on the Arlington page and the Alexandria page. If you run a bar in Ballston or Shirlington, our page on bars and breweries covers back-bar coolers and keg boxes.
