Water Inspector Demanded Free Food from Bar for Good Reports
Cynthia Burch, a former water inspector for the city of Atlanta, would make sure your establishment gets a passing score—if you paid her in food. Well, Burch would never actually exactly "offer" this arrangement. Until she was fired, Burch used to promise restaurants that she would cause problems for them if they didn't give her free food.
According to the Fox affiliate in Atlanta, Burch never asked businesses for money in exchange for her positive reports. She just wanted food. Or sometimes, for you to cook her food for her. Her favorite place to hit up was Manuel's Tavern ("America's quintessential neighborhood bar"):
Brian Maloof offered Burch an initial complimentary meal as she checked equipment used to separate out grease in the kitchen, but that turned into constant requests for meals at no charge.
According to investigators, Burch would often bring steaks and pork chops for restaurant cooks to prepare for her dinner. She would also bring Martina Miller, another water employee, to eat.
Burch was canned from her position after an investigation proved she was forcing the bar into this special relationship. It's unclear if she also demanded free drinks. Hopefully she did! If you're going to swindle a bar, might as well get some free drinks out of it, too.
