How often does your family eat out at a restaurant?

And when you do, how do you know if the kitchen is clean and the food you're eating is safe?

KHQA' gets some questions answered as he looks into restaurant safety in Quincy.

How often do you eat out in Adams County?

"Oh, probably once a day," says Mike Hines.

That's a pretty good sign coming from Adams County's Chief of Sanitarian Mike Hines. He and his team are in charge of making sure all restaurants and other establishments that handle food do it properly.

"We're going to address food temperatures and preparations, cooling and reheating, those processes," adds Hines.

Good news: Mike Hines told us there are no real problems in Adams County restaurants we should be concerned about. He did bring up a good point, though. When you eat out, you make a lot of assumptions; you assume the kitchen is clean, you assume the employees are feeling well. So we asked him for some telltale signs of when you should walk out the door.

Believe it or not, the first place you should visit in a restaurant is the restroom. Carmell Fitch is a Subway Franchise owner in Quincy. She says the Subway corporation tells is owners that customers get a good idea of what a restaurant's backroom or kitchen looks like based on how clean the bathroom is. Check for general cleanliness and--another red flag--if there's no soap or paper towels, do you think employees are washing their hands before returning to work?

And there are some other things to keep you eyes out for.

"I think the impression starts with the parking lot. When you drive in, you get your first impression," says Carmell Fitch.

And that impression continues when you walk in the door. Is the place clean?  Do the employees look presentable?

"Obviously, you don't want someone coughing in their hands and touching the buns of your sandwich," says Hines.

How often do you think an employee shows up for work sick?

"Hopefully none (laughs) If they're experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, or high fever, they should contact the manager and report that to them," Hines answers.

In fact, if you have any complaints in a restaurant, tell the server or the manager. If you're unsatisfied with their response, call your local health department. Most places will cater to your needs because they need you to come back so they can stay in business.

The Adams County Health Department inspects sit down restaurants twice a year, fast food restaurants once a year.

But Carmell Fitch says corporations of big chain restaurants send inspection teams in once a month to make sure local establishments are keeping up to the standards set by the company.