Restaurant owners are in the people business and know they must satisfy their customers or face empty dining rooms.

While restaurant owners strive to offer fine cuisine, they must also follow strict health codes and submit to regular inspections. But, restaurant owners see problems with how inspections are conducted.

“I think (Bedford inspectors) try to catch you doing something wrong, rather than educating you. They come in at peak business hours. That’s not how the pros do it; they grade and educate you at the same time,” said Charles Rolecek, owner of C.R. Sparks in Bedford.

Rolecek said inspectors should come in during non-peak hours at either 9 to 11:30 a.m. or from 2 to 5 p.m., to prevent distracting management and alarming patrons.

“I welcome the inspections, in the right situation, to keep us on our toes,” he said.

Bedford is one of 15 towns across the state that conducts its own health inspections. Recently, a list was released on how restaurants and other food-handling businesses scored during these inspections, which occur about every six months. Most restaurants received favorable marks.

Of the 94 restaurants and other businesses inspected within the past six months, 82 scored 90 or better, 11 were above 80 and one ranked below 80. Those below a 70 fail the inspection and are closed. But that has not happened in Bedford in more than 10 years, said Wayne Richardson, the town health officer.

Many minor violations could cause a low score, while a restaurant that had one critical violation, a minus of four to five points, could still have a 90 percent.

C.R Sparks received a score of 81. Town inspector Gary Pariseau noted the restaurant had “inadequate protection of potable water, evidence of insects and sanitizer rinse temperature not hot enough.”

The findings in the report, Rolecek said, are misleading. “As a patron, you’d be concerned if you heard ‘insects.’

Having fruit flies in the back Dumpster is one thing, but if there were cockroaches running over the lettuce, that would be a concern,” said Rolecek.

Rolecek, who has been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years, said he also objects to having points taken off because an ice machine drains into the floor. But it’s something that has been like that since C.R. Sparks opened 14 years ago, he said.

The last thing a restaurant owner needs is to have an outbreak of food poisioning or insects, so they are very cautious over health and safety, said Rolecek.

His experience also includes running an airline catering business, which was governed under federal regulations because the food flew over state lines, and their kitchens had to be so clean “you can eat off the floor,” he said.

Town inspectors and restaurant owners agree that inspections are necessary to keep customers safe, but scores don’t paint the real picture.

“Scoring is a guideline to help identify food service establishments which need additional scrutiny,” said Tom Boucher, owner of T-Bones Great American Eatery. “All scores do not stand alone. A score is a snapshot of a particular day, and when they are made public, it should always be in the context of what scores have been for the establishment over time.”

Publishing the scores is misleading to the public because it takes years of education, experience and understanding of how scoring works to be able to interpret a score and comments, he said.

“The public should certainly be informed of food service establishments who don’t receive a passing score, a 70 or less, in order to protect the public,” Boucher said.

Dan St. Jean, owner of Karen’s Kitchen on Route 101 in Bedford, agrees the scores can be misleading because the general public doesn’t get the full interpretation of what’s going on.

His restaurant scored an 83 out of 100 in a recent inspection and, St. Jean said, he and his staff are well-versed on safety and health issues.

“Five points were taken off because I wasn’t here and no one was in charge (at the time of inspection),” St. Jean said. “We got another 5 points off because a waitress made instant oatmeal in the microwave without a hair net. In all my years in the restaurant business, I’ve never seen a waitress heat something up with a hair net.”

According to the town’s report, Pariseau also took points off Karen’s Kitchen, saying “needs insect screens.”

St. Jean said the screen in question was new but there was a one-eighth- to one-quarterinch space at the top, which has since been fixed. Insect control is important to the staff at Karen’s Kitchen, or any restaurant or establishment which sells or serves food, and they incur routine exterminator costs.

And though St. Jean may not always be on hand at the restaurant 24/7, his staff knows how to reach him any time via his home and cell phones.

Following the rules is often difficult, however. Most local restaurants provide clean and safe environments but sometimes things are out of their control. “If (inspectors) had come when I was at Dartmouth when my baby almost died and I wasn’t here, then I would have had 5 points taken off,” he said.

St. Jean has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years, having previously worked at the Bedford Village Inn, Puritan Backroom and at Giorgio’s in Merrimack. He also helped open Giorgio’s Ristorante in Milford, and the Lake House Grill, which is among the Common Man family of restaurants.

Overall, St. Jean said he doesn’t feel he has lost business because of the report, but sometimes feels he has to explain the score to customers who ask. “I’m not afraid to tell people. We’re not dirty by any means. The bathrooms are clean, the restaurant is clean and the food is always hot,” St. Jean said. It’s hard to interpret some of the health and safety laws, said St. Jean, and he makes sure his staff knows the health rules and the proper handling and serving of food.

“The proof is in the pudding,” St. Jean said.

The staff at T-Bones, like many restaurants in the area, take health and safety very seriously. “Prior to employees working independently, we train them on a full scope of safety standards, including food safety,” said Boucher. “We also require every manager in our company to pass the nationally recognized food safety training course ServeSafe This is the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s program.”

The first T-Bones opened in Salem about 24 years ago, and Bedford has been in business for 20, said Boucher, who has been with the company for about 20 years.

“We think inspector Pariseau has done an outstanding job inspecting food service establishments in Bedford. We have a high regard and respect for what he does and his knowledge,” said Boucher. “It is our intent to continue to work with inspectors at all of our locations throughout New Hampshire to ensure the highest standard of food safety.”

Rolecek, who also serves as president of the Restaurant and Lodging Association, hopes to sit down with Town Manager Russ Marcoux, several restaurant owners and town inspectors to work out some kinks in the system.

“All of us are concerned about public health, and they (the town) need to work with us more; be more of an educator and not policemen,” Rolecek said.

– Stephen Beale contributed to this report.