MIDDLETOWN — Fourteen of 62 Middletown restaurants that underwent health inspections during October and November received at least one four-point violation from city personnel, although all passed upon reinspection, city records indicate.
A rating below 80, or any four-point violation regardless of score, results in a failure, according to Middletown Health Director Kevin Elak.
Public health personnel visit food establishments periodically, and points are subtracted for various violations from 100 — the highest possible score. For instance, a restaurant that received a 96 grade could have a single 4-point violation and would fail, he added.
Among four-point violations are not having an approved source of wholesome, unadulterated food; potentially hazardous food temperatures; personnel with exposed lesions/burns, and workers with communicable diseases not reported to the health director.
Among others are inadequate hand-washing facilities or methods, issues with sewage disposal, toilet facilities, foods not preserved correctly, toxic chemicals, and unsafe water sources.
Each is given 14 days to correct the violations and undergo a reinspection within those two weeks, Elak said. “If a restaurant fails a reinspection, we take measures to close the establishment. Fortunately, we rarely have to do that,” he noted.
“We aim to have operators fix the violations right away while we are on site,” Elak explained.
He offered examples, which include “discarding unwholesome or adulterated foods, removing foods from malfunctioning hot or cold holding units (as long as the food is still within the proper range), filling soap and paper towel dispensers at the handwashing sinks, and labeling chemical bottles.”
Some violations can’t be immediately corrected, such as a malfunctioning refrigerator or plumbing issues, Elak pointed out.
Education is a large factor in these inspections, he added. “We don’t just want to go into a food establishment, write a bunch of violations on the inspection form, and then say ‘see you in two weeks.’
“We take the time to educate owners, managers and food workers if we encounter a food safety violation,” the health director explained. “For instance, if we observe that hot foods are not being cooled properly (foods left in the ‘danger zone,’ between 41 and 135 degrees, can cause bacteria to grow), we will have a conversation with the staff about measures they can take to cool a food product quickly.”
Another example is when city staff show kitchen workers how to set up a three-compartment sink to properly wash, rinse and sanitize food equipment, the director added. “We have found that this establishes trust and a positive relationship between the health department and restaurant owners. We want them to succeed.”
It’s not that common for such establishments to earn a 100, Elak explained, “but, it happens,” especially if it is a small operation.
All the restaurants below that were inspected over those two months either passed initially or did so upon subsequent reinspection, Elak said.
Restaurants and their grades are listed alphabetically by month.
In October, nine of 30 inspected establishments had four-point violations found on initial inspection.
Athenian Diner II, 864 Washington St., was inspected Oct. 19 and received an 88, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 41 degrees. On reinspection Nov. 16, it earned a perfect score. The owner did not respond to a message for comment.
Ecua Express, 410 Main St., was visited Oct. 5 and received a 94, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 45 degrees. Elak was unable to find records of a reinspection. The owner did not return a message for comment.
Ford News, 258 Main St., was visited Oct. 6 and earned 94, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 41 degrees. On Nov. 17, the diner earned a 97. The owner was unable to be reached for comment.
Hachi, 320 Main St., was visited Oct. 1 and received an 82, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 45 degrees. On Nov. 2, the establishment passed reinspection with a 92 score. The owner did not return a message asking for comment.
Hau Po, 695 S. Main St., which was inspected Oct. 3, earned an 87, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 41 degrees, and hot holding greater than or equal to 135 degrees. It was reinspected Oct. 18 and received a score of 93. The property owner told The Press that the owner did not wish to comment.
McDonald’s, 211 So. Main St., was inspected Oct. 5 and earned a 93, with a four-point violation for not conducting hand washing at appropriate times. On its Nov. 3 reinspection the restaurant got a 98. No one answered the phone despite multiple calls over two days seeking comment.
Neil’s Donuts, 211 S. Main St., was visited Oct. 27 and earned an 87, with four-point violations for not having hand-washing facilities accessible/convenient to use, and cold holding less than 41 degrees. Reinspected Nov. 17, the bakery earned a 98. Calls to the business for comment were sent to voicemail, however the inbox was full.
Pho 170, 170 Main St., was inspected Oct. 3 and received a 93, with a four-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 45 degrees. During a Nov. 1 reinspection, the eatery earned a 91, again with the cold holding less than or equal to 45 degrees violation. On Nov. 7, it received a 95, and passed. Business owner Ali Sithivong said Wednesday that Pho 170 fixed the problems.
Roma Pizza & Restaurant, 871 Newfield St., was visited Oct. 19 and earned an 86, with four-point violations for not having hand-washing facilities in all food prep/dispensing and other areas, as well as personnel not washing their hands/improperly washing them. It was reinspected Nov. 2 and earned a 96. “We fixed the violation right away,” owner Shawn Saatci said Thursday.
In November, five of 32 eateries inspected received four-point violations initially.
Apple Rehab, 600 Highland Ave., was inspected Nov. 9 and got a 96 with a 4-point violation for improper cooling; on Nov. 30, it got the same score with the same violation. It was reinspected again Dec. 13 and earned a 100. The dietary manager offered no comment.
Caribou Smokehouse, 650 S. Main St., was inspected Nov. 14 and received a 91, with a four-point violation for hot holding less than 135 degrees. It received the same score with the same violations Nov. 28. Calls were made to the phone number listed on both the website and Facebook page, however, the number was out of service. A reinspection was not done, Elak said, because “they have been closed ever since. We think that they are permanently closed.”
Haveli India, 1300 S. Main St., was inspected Nov. 1 and earned a 81, with a violation for not having food containers stored off the floor, and food not covered properly. On Nov. 16, the establishment earned a 92 and passed. The owner did not respond to a message for comment.
Illianos, 404 S. Main St., was visited Nov. 9 and received an 86 with a 4-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 41 degrees. On Nov. 30, the pizza parlor passed with a 92. The manager who answered the phone offered no comment.
Rustic Pizza, 218 Smith St., was inspected Nov. 15, and got an 81, with a four-point violation for not having proper hand-washing facilities accessible/convenient to use. On Nov. 29, the restaurant received a 93 grade and passed. The owner did not return a call for comment.
Summerfields restaurant (at Wesleyan University), 50 Huber Ave., was inspected Nov. 1 and earned a 92, with a 4-point violation for cold holding less than or equal to 41 degrees. On Nov. 16, Summerfields received a 95 score and passed. A voicemail message asking for comment was not returned.