Small Bites: Frank Fraboni’s a hit with ‘Restaurant Report Card’

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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I mentioned last week how much I love WLOSer Frank Fraboni’s “Restaurant Report Card” reports on Friday. This week, I see that Mountain Xer Hannah Rachel Raskin has also taken notice in her “Small Bites” column:

Viewers of WLOS have lately been treated to food news considerably nastier than what’s covered by the station’s popular “Carolina Cooking” segment, which recently featured Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower preparing pork-barrel fritters.

Late last year, News-13’s Frank Fraboni introduced the “Restaurant Report Card,” an aggressive investigative series in which he and a camera crew ambush owners of eateries with health-code violations. “I wonder what you can tell me about these roaches in the oven,” Fraboni said in a confrontation with a worker at a Chinese restaurant that earned an “A” grade. Fraboni has reportedly earned new fans with his animated descriptions of drainage, hot water temperatures and shelving strategies.

I wouldn’t call this “investigative” work – he’s just confronting restaurant owners and managers with public health inspection reports that anyone can access. But it is salacious fun to use phrases such as “roaches in the oven” and watch the restaurants squirm. And I do think his highlighting these health inspections is a good public service. Glad I’m not the only one watching, Hannah!