LETTERS

GUESS WHAT’S COMING WITH DINNER?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY INFORMATIVE article [“The Dirtiest Restaurants in Dallas,” March]. I had no sooner wiped the evidence of my lunch at Slider and Blues from my lips, when I read what city health inspectors found in their kitchen. Yuk! Here’s an idea. Do Dallas a big favor and run these ratings monthly opposite the restaurant reviews. And not just the dirtiest restaurants, but the cleanest, as well. Let’s put restaurateurs on notice that guests won’t stand for a “we will clean up when we get caught” mentality.

ALAN LIDJI

DALLAS



SURPRISING TO ME IS THE OUTDATED NATURE of the information. Landry’s West End is mentioned at length for June 1994 violations and once for August 1995 violations. Our restaurant in the West End has three inspections on file since August 1995. We were inspected October 1995 and scored 90 percent. Also we had two inspections in January 1996 and scored 97 percent and 98 percent respectively. We feel your readers might be better served or more interested in a more current survey whenever possible.

Our West End restaurant did have scores ranging from 65 percent to 68 percent in June 1994 and once in August 1995. We have since replaced the management of this particular location. Needless to say we take Health Department violations very seriously and in fact all Health Department inspections are reviewed by the director of operations at the corporate office.

TILMAN J. FERTITTA

President and CEO,

Landry’s Seafood Restaurants, Inc.

HOUSTON



EDITOR’S NOTE: The January inspections of Landry’s came after D’s story bad gone to press.



I APPLAUD YOUR MAGAZINE’S EFFORTS TO promote restaurant health and safety. Tough health inspections are not something we shy away from. That’s why last year our company implemented a systemwide QSC (Quality, Service, and Cleanliness) inspection program. Administered by an independent quality and standards department, our QSC experts make surprise visits to all the Bennigan’s restaurants. Our inspection includes more than 962 check points, making it more extensive than those conducted by most local health departments. Performance reviews for our management team are tied to QSC scores.

While we are not pleased with Bennigan’s one-time low score reported on the chart in the March issue, I thought it worth mentioning the other hall of the story. The day after that low score was given, the health department conducted another inspection. We scored a 95- that’s a near perfect score in less than 24 hours.

In early March, the health department returned and we scored a 91. Our managers and employees are vowing to get a score of 100 on the next inspection. And we support and applaud their efforts.

Steve Skonecke

President, Bennigan’s

Dallas



NOW PAY ATTENTION

Your one-sided article, “The Seductive Diagnosis” [March], was misleading at best.

First of all, it is inaccurate to imply that all kids diagnosed with ADD have behavioral problems or suffer from depression, although if undiagnosed and untreated for a long period of time, I can see why the child would become depressed.

My son was diagnosed with ADD in the first grade. He had trouble learning to read, and both his kindergarten and first grade teachers told me he was a good-hearted child who obviously wanted to learn, but that he simply seemed unable to sit and focus on any one task for even a short amount of time. After determining he needed to repeat the first grade, his school arranged for him to be tested and he was diagnosed as having ADD. I took him to a private physician and had the diagnosis confirmed, and Ritalin was prescribed. The results were astonishing: He went to the top of his class, and was reading the newspaper to me every morning! Prior to taking the Ritalin, my son couldn’t even sit through a Disney movie.

My son is now an honor student in his freshman year of high school, and plays football. He is a very happy child and far from depressed. The only thing abnormal about him is that he has little interest in television, designer clothes, parties, video games, or hanging out at the mall, and his passions are fishing, football, reading, and eating-in that order. I’m one lucky mother!

SHEREE MCSPADDEN

ROWLETT



THE SYSTEM IS NOT BROKEN

RE: “TORTS AND RETORTS,” EDITOR’S NOTE [March]. Rather than pointing to the number of cases filed in our court system as evidence that the system is broken, I would submit that it is evidence that the system works, and works well. Regardless of the outcome, we continue to submit our disputes to the courts for resolution, and we abide by the system’s decisions even when it is not in our individual best interest to do so.

Tinker with this system at your peril, When a society no longer trusts the judicial system to resolve its disputes, its members will reject the courts as arbiters of their disputes, and all that will be left is the kind of self-help we now see in the extreme fringe groups who go out to resolve their disputes by force of arms.

R.K. WEAVER

DALLAS



CORRECTlON:Due to a printing error,two lines in the Lake hill Preparatory School section of “Class Acts” [March] were left out of the story. Here is how the paragraph should have read:

Lakehill’s drama department and speech workshop are top-notch. The school’s award-winning community service program is a graduation requirement. A food pantry is located on campus and students host annual events for senior citizens such as holiday luncheons and picnics. Every class adopts a grandparent. Instead of science fairs, Lakehill stages “Invention Conventions.” Many field trips: In sixth grade, for example, while studying Texas history, the whole class of 18 to 20 will trek across the state.

ADMISSION: Uses Stanford Achievement Tests; but the school isn’t looking only for those who score the highest on the test.