on’t Eat at Charlie’s Restaurant

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

Over the years, Charlie’s Restaurant was a very popular dining establishment in Lilliland. But Charlie retired and sold his restaurant. All of his employees were let go by the new owner and manager and new people were hired. Charlie’s books and records indicated that he did not make much money but just enough to get by.

The new manager was raising the prices and cutting the portions. To save money he arranged with the local jail to have work-release prisoners run the kitchen.

People soon found that after they ate at Charlie’s they felt sick. The Baron learned of this and asked his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, to investigate the rumors that people were getting sick.

The investigation proved to be accurate and that people were going to the hospital and the medical opinion was that the illness was due to food poisoning.

The investigation continued and it was discovered that the cook was on work release while he served a jail term for poisoning his parents. The person who washed the dishes also had some medical problems and he had many untreated infections. The Baron immediately sent the health inspection team to the restaurant to confirm the findings. The authorities immediately closed the restaurant. The owner was taken to task for misrepresentation and fostering a public danger. His actions were so reprehensible that he was put in jail. He was ordered to stay out of the restaurant business.

Charlie offered to come out of his retirement and take back the restaurant. Charlie gave the purchaser his money back and resumed the ownership of the restaurant. When he advertised, “Charlie is Back,” all of his previous customers came back to the restaurant.

Operating a business that affects public health is a very serious matter in Lilliland. The owner who bought Charlie’s Restaurant did not check references and to have a jailed work-released person who was found guilty of poisoning his parents shows a complete lack of judgment in safeguarding the public’s health in favor of a quick profit.

“That,” the Baron said, “is intolerable in Lilliland. The health and well-being of the people of Lilliland come first. And that is that!”