Two Greene Co. restaurants cited for not handling food properly

Jul 31, 2023

Two separate Greene County restaurants were cited for not handling food properly during this week's inspections.

In one case, an employee handled ready-to-eat food immediately after accepting money, according to a July 27 Springfield-Greene County Health Department's food inspection report. In another instance, an employee entered the kitchen for work, removed their backpack and then donned gloves without washing their hands, according to an Aug. 2 report.

Education was provided to Joe's Route 66 Diner, 201 E. Chestnut St., Strafford, on July 27 and Black Sheep @ Chesterfield Village, 2160 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield, on Aug. 2. Both restaurants passed their inspections.

Food inspections take place one to three times a year, depending on the type of food served, the population served, difficulty of food preparation and past history. Restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often "than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as popcorn and soda," according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

Each report identifies what was happening at the establishment at that time. Consumers who want to know whether a violation is a one-time thing or a pattern are encouraged to refer to previous reports.

More:Frequent reader of Greene County food inspections? Here's what inspectors want you to know

Issues found during inspection fall into either priority or non-priority violations. Priority violations impact the safety of the food, such as cross contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food, improper food temperature and poor personal hygiene and employee health. Multiple priority violations can lead to an establishment being shut down. Non-priority violations alone do not directly affect food safety, such as dirty floors, sticky tabletops or outside trash cans not being covered.

Last week's food inspections:Greene Co. food inspections this week include confused employees, restaurants re-opening

Here are food inspections from the past week:

Arby's Roast Beef Restaurant No. 699, 1416 W. Kearney St., Springfield. July 31 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Three non-priority violations: Observed daylight visible through exterior doors on north, east and back of kitchen; observed mops stored in mop sink. education given; observed employee hand sink across from three-vat sink draining slowly.

Black Sheep @ Chesterfield Village, 2160 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield. Aug. 2 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed employee arrive for work, enter kitchen and remove backpack, and then put on gloves without washing hands. Education provided and corrected on-site. Four non-priority violations: Observed condensate and ice build-up on bottom of walk-in freezer compressor — a repeat violation — staff instructed not to store food under compressor until repaired and manager stated repair company is scheduled to look at unit; observed vent hood filters, vent hood frame, sides of fryers and beneath grill have grease build-up, which is a repeat violation; observed dish racks have build-up and are beginning to be in poor repair, should be replaced; observed duct leaking in front of prep cooler in kitchen and roof leaking near fresh prep area by table with steam unit, which needs to be repaired by next routine inspection.

Break Time No. 3171, 1545 W. Republic Road, Springfield. Aug. 1 re-inspection – Result: active. Priority item corrected; open cooler case now below 41 degrees Fahrenheit as required. No violations noted.

Bubba's BBQ, 504 N. West Bypass, Springfield. Aug. 1 re-inspection – Result: active. All violations listed on routine inspection remain corrected, except for a hole beside the mop sink needs repaired. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed small hold beside mop sink and some fiberglass reinforced paneling is loose from the wall.

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Classic Rock Coffee, 1900 W. Sunset St., Springfield. July 31 re-inspection – Result: active. Priority item corrected: Front of house prep cooler now below 41 degrees as required. No violations noted.

Creasian, 501 W. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield. July 31 routine inspection – Result: active. Three priority violations: Observed large bin of noodles in walk-in cooler, bin of cooked chicken and fried chicken bin not date marked, education provided and corrected on-site; observed bin of fried chicken tested at 61 degrees and additional bin tested at 62, crab rangoon tested at 59 degrees, egg rolls tested at 70 degrees, all of which were left on counter top and were voluntarily discarded, education was provided; observed meat slicer had large chunk of expired chicken left inside it, was dirty and not cleaned after use, which was corrected on-site and education was provided. One non-priority violation: Observed large amount of grease build-up in hood system, large amount of grease and dirt between fryer and stove, walk-in cooler No. 2's fans were dirty, so education was provided.

El Paraiso Mexican Kitchen, 305 E. Chestnut St., Strafford. July 27 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited during the inspection.

El Poblano Grill & Cantina, 2629 N. Kansas Expressway, Springfield. July 27 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. A re-inspection will be made on or after Aug. 1. Two priority violations: Observed milk in bar refrigerator was at 47 degrees and unit was iced up, milk was voluntarily discarded; observed blade of can opener had moderate food debris build-up, and was put in dishwasher prior to inspector leaving. Three non-priority violations: Observed inside of ice machine was not clean; observed some missing floor tiles; observed faucet came off at three-vat sink when water was turned on, which needs to be corrected by re-inspection.

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Hilton Garden Inn - Pavilion Grill, 4155 S. Nature Center Way, Springfield. July 28 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed dicer stored unclean, which pulled from service to be properly cleaned; observed no active chlorine sanitizing solution in dish machine, which was corrected at time of inspection. One non-priority violation: Observed water bottle in food preparation area when employee drinks required to have lid and straw. Drink was removed and education provided.

Hy-Vee - Bakery/Retail, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. Aug. 1 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: Observed dough scale in poor repair, which should be replaced; observed open case end-cap cooler B15 holding potentially hazardous food items at 43 to 44 degrees, manager agreed to place work order immediately. One non-priority violation: Observed ice/condensate on bottom of compressor fans and line in walk-in freezer. Items should not be stored under that unit until it is repaired.

Hy-Vee - Italian & Chinese, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. Aug. 1 routine inspection – Result: action. One priority violation: Observed several pans stored dirty on clean rack, which was corrected by re-washing and sanitizing. Three non-priority violations: Observed several hibachi spatulas stored in room temperature water, cook removed spatulas and got new empty pan without water; observed vent hood and vent hood filters have build-up of grease; observed cold water is not mixing through mixing valve so employees cannot hold hands comfortably under water to wash as it is too hot.

Hy-Vee Convenience Store, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. Aug. 1 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed open grab-and-go cooler holding potentially hazardous foods at 43 to 44 degrees. Manager agreed to move items to walk-in cooler and place work order. No non-priority violations.

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Hy-Vee Deli Kitchen/Club Room, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. Aug. 1 complaint inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed daylight coming through bottom corner and side of deli door; observed food debris and other items on floor at floor and wall juncture and beneath equipment.

Jimmy's Egg, 3837 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Aug. 1 re-inspection – Result: active. Items corrected from routine inspection: 1. Hot water now available at second hand sink. 2. Back door has been replaced and is now tight fitting. 3. Wait staff diced tomatoes are now being stored in the fruit cooler. 4. Staff is washing hands when required. No violations noted.

Joe's Route 66 Diner, 201 E. Chestnut St., Strafford. July 27 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed employees handling ready-to-eat food after receiving money with same gloved hands, another employee handled dirty equipment and handled ready-to-eat food. Education was given and violation was corrected on-site.

K Fried Chicken, 3050 S. National Ave., Springfield. July 28 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed not properly documenting time when potentially hazardous food is removed from temperature control when using time control, education provided. No non-priority violations.

Koriya, 4121 S. Fremont Ave., Springfield. July 31 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed not properly date-marking a potentially hazardous food when the chicken prepared two days prior had not been marked with seven-day discard date, education provided. No non-priority violations.

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Leslie's Mexican Supermarket - Meat Department, 216 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. Aug. 2 suspended permit re-inspection – Result: approved. Establishment was closed due to power outage before the inspector arrived on-site. Power returned to the building during visit and are able to reopen.

Ms. Gilmore's Tea Room, 211 E. Commercial St., Springfield. July 31 complaint inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds - Fair Foundation Stand, 3001 N. Grant Ave., Springfield. July 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Four non-priority violations: Observed exterior door not self-closing if the door is opened all the way, which is a repeat violation and education was given; observed service window shelves and legs on the center counter are made of wood that is not sealed or painted, education given; observed sanitizer strips in unit were expired, education given; observed workers using wrong time of thermometer to conduct temperature readings of product, education given.

Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds - Fried Trailer, 3001 N. Grant Ave., Springfield. July 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed no sanitizer test strips to check concentration of sanitizer.

Schulz & Dooley's, 2210 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield. Aug. 2 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed flies and gnats in dry storage room around soiled wiping cloths, flies in kitchen. Restaurant advised to eliminate harborage conditions by putting cleaning schedule in place and contacting pest control. Three non-priority violations: Observed fly sticks stored over dishes and prep tables and hanging from ceiling, which were both moved at time of inspection; observed floors not clean in kitchen, dry storage areas and walk-in cooler, and standing water and food debris in areas, so example cleaning schedule emailed to manager; observed build-up of grease on fry, grill and vent hood area, including pans used to store utensils.

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Taco Bell No. 026065, 405 E. Walnut Lane, Willard. July 27 routine inspection – Result: active. Air conditioning out in kitchen area for about a month. Facility is waiting for a different bracket to make the installation. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed one soda nozzle was dirty, which was promptly removed to be washed, rinsed and sanitized.

The Big Biscuit, 3620 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 31 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed knives being stored unclean on magnetic strip holder when required to be stored clean to sight and touch, knives pulled from service to be properly cleaned. No non-priority violations.

The Farmhouse Bar & Grill, 125 W. Main St., Ash Grove. Aug. 1 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed flat of raw shell eggs on upper shelf of prep refrigerator above some bagged cheese, which was promptly relocated by staff.

The Wok on Scenic, 4153 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield. July 31 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed sanitizer solution over 200 parts per million chlorine in wiping cloth solution, which employee corrected to 100 ppm, education provided; observed chicken (white meat) in steam table at 114 to 117 degrees, which was voluntarily discarded. Dark meat and egg rolls all above 135 degrees as required. No non-priority violations.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].