On its first day of operation, May 1, the Virginia Department of Health's restaurant inspection report Web site was flooded with more than 800,000 hits. By noon the next day, an additional 400,000 queries had been logged.

In short, the public gobbled up the information provided for the first time online, though it has always been available from local VDH branches.

The Web site, http://www.vdh.state.va.us, currently hosts all inspections carried out since Jan. 1 at the state's 22,000-plus establishments serving food, from the Inn at Little Washington to the popcorn and drink stands at Busch Gardens. A press release from Governor Mark Warner said the site is part of an effort to put more state government services and information online.

The inspection reports list all critical and non-critical violations. Critical violations are those that can result in food-borne illnesses, while non-critical violations are not directly related to the preparation of food, such as missing lightbulbs or dirty walls. The site is searchable by locality or zip code.

The Virginia Restaurant Association criticized the Web site, complaining to the Associated Press that "it wasn't necessary that the public have access to this information," citing the possibility that results would be misinterpreted.

In unveiling the Web site, Warner cautioned users that the reports provide only a snapshot of a restaurant on a given day. No restaurant is perfect and some days will yield more violations than others.

Follow-up inspections are also posted on the site.