FOLLOW US:
How safe is that restaurant food?
Lax standards, poor management can lead to violations
Lax standards, poor management can lead to violations
Photo by Eric Keith / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo
St. Joseph-Buchanan County Health Department Inspector Rick Messa discusses dishwasher details with kitchen manager Kayrone Wright during an inspection at Hunan Restaurant on Wednesday morning.
Special Section
Nearly a thousand people each day eat food from the cleanest kitchen in St. Joseph. Health inspectors consider the food served at Heartland Regional Medical Center to be the best in town. To be served to sick people, it has to be.
Though Heartland, and a handful of other mostly chain restaurants in St. Joseph, have consistently done well during surprise kitchen inspections in the past three years, that’s hardly the norm.
A News-Press review of thousands of health documents for more than 150 restaurants and bars and grills in St. Joseph has found serious violations, such as prescription drugs being seized from a Mexican restaurant, roaches and houseflies living in a kitchen refrigerator at a Chinese buffet, and inspectors being forced to denature discarded foods with bleach so the restaurateurs don’t reuse the food.
At any time, anyone who sells food in St. Joseph can get an unannounced inspection from the St. Joseph-Buchanan County Health Department. Most restaurants, delis and carry-outs are inspected three times per year.
There are just more than 300 establishments in St. Joseph, including school cafeterias, bars and assisted-living facilities.
An inspector’s bad review can shut down an establishment. But that depends on how many so-called “critical violations” are amassed during the inspection.
There are nearly 300 ways a food establishment can get in trouble with the Health Department, and about 125 of those are considered critical violations.
“(But) really, it could be as few as one. If you have an infestation of any type of pest — mice, rats, roaches, flies even — you’re going to get closed,” said Rick Messa, one of the city’s two health inspectors.
A News-Press review of food safety records found four common critical violations: slime in the ice machine, an employee leaving an open personal drink in the kitchen, a dirty slicer and temperature violations — food not holding cold or hot enough.
Mr. Messa said each violation carries a real risk for food-borne illness.
Mold or slime grows best in a moist climate, such as in a restaurant’s unclean ice bin.
An open drink in the kitchen, with each sip by an employee, transfers bacteria from his or her mouth to hand, which may then get into food.
An unclean slicer is the perfect laboratory for bacteria. It takes just four hours for bacteria to grow into a danger area on any food-contact surface.
And the most likely source for a food outbreak is the temperature that food is cooked, cooled and stored. Foods must be kept below 41 degrees or above 140 degrees to prevent bacterial growth.
Mr. Messa said these violations and other less common ones are “90 percent of the time due to laziness.”
While Heartland’s kitchen tops the list as the brass ring in clean dining, one establishment that has had its difficulties is Village Steakhouse & Buffet.
Like many buffets in town, Village has a fat inspection file at the Health Department.
The restaurant was closed twice this past year — once for “gross unsanitary conditions” and the other time to correct cooling unit problems, according to food safety inspections.
Owner and Manager Erich Uhlhorn said in the current tough economic times, locally owned establishments like his are especially hurt.
“I think we just let ourselves get a little bit lax (in 2008),” said Mr. Uhlhorn, who adds he is eyeing a nearly $10,000 cooler unit to bring his restaurant infrastructure up to Health Department standards. “This is my livelihood, and only a fool plays fast and loose with that.”
Mr. Uhlhorn said he also is considering having his staff go through a food safety class, free in-service training that the Health Department says it tells many restaurants about, but few take them up on.
Inspectors also say good restaurant managers are directly related to the cleanliness at any given restaurant. Captain D’s on the North Belt Highway is a prime example.
Up until 2008, Captain D’s never had a critical violation (“one of the cleanest fast-food restaurants”), according to health records dating to 2005. But after a grease fire in June, caused when a kitchen employee became distracted on the phone, the restaurant began to rack up critical violations.
Ryan Seippel, a Captain D’s employee since the early 1990s who took over managerial duties in December 2007, said he feels targeted by the Health Department.
“He (Mr. Messa) comes in, tells me what is wrong and goes away,” said Mr. Seippel, outside the restaurant around noon on Tuesday. “I’ve got one person in the (kitchen) right now. I don’t have a large crew like Cheddar’s.”
Health inspection records show that franchise and chain restaurants such as Cheddar’s, 54th Street Grill & Bar and Red Lobster have near-perfect food safety records.
Mr. Messa said that usually is because nationally owned restaurants have accountability to someone above.
“Where if you’re local, the only responsibility you have is to yourself. And sometimes they don’t have the resources or the money available to do some of the things some of the national chains can do,” he said. “So, for example, to them, replacing a refrigerator unit is a lot more costly, and sometimes they’re reluctant to do that, until we force them to do it.”
Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.
This story has 53 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
Story Tools
Hyperlink Legend
E-mail story
Print friendly version
iPod friendly version
Today's Top Headlines
A darn good dog
New county inspector takes on variety of tasks
Soldier shares stories from war
Palin to resign from office
What are the benefits of art?
JOB SEARCH
RECENTLY DISCUSSED
A darn good dog
(3 comments)
School board mulls 2nd levy attempt
(175 comments)
New county inspector takes on variety of tasks
(20 comments)
Your letters, July 3, 2009
(14 comments)
More Popular Discussions
(3 comments)
School board mulls 2nd levy attempt
(175 comments)
New county inspector takes on variety of tasks
(20 comments)
Your letters, July 3, 2009
(14 comments)
This comment was removed by the site staff.
10377586 January 4, 2009 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)bet he wouldn't eat in KC if he knew what goes on down there!!!!!
Every person who works with food should be REQUIRED to take the FREE food safety class. Before opening a restaurant, business owners should be required to take the same class and become "certified" food handlers. Last, a new law should be imposed that grades each restaurant, and the grade (or report findings) should be prominently displayed at all times in restaurants' windows. A much better incentive to keep your ducks in a row.
Instead of berating the public food inspectors, it is time to call upon the restaurant owners and managers to be more vigilant and responsible about the production of food.
He just enforces the rules.
NPG should publish the all of the health inspections like they do arrests, births, thefts etc.
Right on wr49tm! Its amazing how some will become defensive when a public eatery is found to be in violation of health and safety codes and chastise the inspector. Probably the same ones that scream, "wheres the inspector" when they find a roach or a hair in their burger. Keep up the good work Mr. Messa.
I went thru the list of restaurant inspections and noticed that Galvin's Dinnerhouse (a subject of an earlier article) was absent from the list. Could it be that some News Press advertisers are exempt from this listing? Ahmad?
galvin's is not in the city limits, and thus is not directly under the aegis of the draconian inspector. previous articles indicate that the city is working to have the entire county under its thumb as soon as possible.
i am not against inspections. i am simply not completely conVINCEd that there is not targeted enforcement going on.
heritage,
The Farris Truck Stop (Faucett),Vault Bar & Grill (Easton)and the Whiskey Rebellion (Rushmore) are all listed. Why not Galvin's?
Hmmm....Heritage, I think you need to reevaluate your ideas about laziness! Clearly, all restaurants go by the same set of rules, therefore if they are wrote up for employee drinks, and the inspector refers to this a lazyiness, so be it. If it is clearly stated in the rules and they dont obey, then it is laziness! Secondly, just because someone is slightly overweight doesnt mean that they are LAZY! I would guess you must be working in the food business for you to childishly hit below the belt by making a comment like that. "Public" means they are working for you, your children and older citizens, anyone who does not appreciate what these people do need to reevaluate their morals.
oooops, sorry, just going from the article from some time ago. i did notice that several establishments here in town are also not yet inspected, or at least not on the list.
samman. nope. not in the food biz. did work my way through university as a waitress, and i can tell you without question that no one who has been in the food industry and been successful is LAZY.
an employee who has an open container in the kitchen is not lazy. careless, or thirsty, but certainly not lazy.
my point is that this city penalizes older establishments simply because they aren't.........NEW. there is no avenue to appeal this individual's judgement. that is wrong.
Don't worry about Heritage Samman she always throws insults around and twists words when she doesn't like something. Clearly the articles talks about dirty slicers, dirty ice machines and not making sure proper temperatures being observed when he talks about being lazy. Even the manager of the Village steakhouse says they were "a little bit lax".
Heritage just hates chains and thinks that local people should be allowed to do what they please. Proper food preparation and handling is important no matter who owns the place. Is it easier to do when things are newer? Of course, but that doesn't mean they get to blow off food safety in older or local businesses. Unless you have any actual proof of favoritism you should back off of your accusations.
of course, only the shadow knows.............BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
My guess is that if the article states that there are over 300 or so establishments and there are only 150 listed in todays story...maybe just maybe there is more to come!
I comletely agree about working in a restaurant being hard work and not lazy, but just as any other job serving the public, it is important not to allow yourself to become lax while performing your job. If our health inspectors write something down, there must be a reason behind it. I highly doubt they walk around trying to make people look bad. LIke the article says, it is like going into your grandmothers kitchen and telling her what is wrong, it would be very hard to do that! These people spend day after day, making people upset, that would have to be hard! It would be interesting to see the set of rules, I am sure that there are not seperate rules for new or old restaurants. Food safety has nothing to do with favortism, only public respect in doing your job correctly. When you sign up to run a restaurant, new or old, you have agreed to abide by the rules!
Wait, did I read this correctly, there is not a requirement for a "food handlers permit" in order for people to be employeed to work in a kitchen?
Seems to be a requirement most everywhere, and to obtain that permit, the person has to recieve some basic training.
Do we or do we not have that minimum requirement here in our city/county and if not, can we????????
Here is a link to what another Missouri town requires:
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Health/Environmental_Health/food_service_info.php
Training plus a cost of $10.00 to obtain the permit, sounds fair to me.
Also, special thanks to the staff of the News Press for gathering this information. Please consider adding weekly updates to the web site and printed newspaper.
Thank you!
I am happy to read that Heartland cafeteria is on the "good" list. I have been to several hospitals in Kansas City and I think they have excellent food!
I am a Heartland employee and frequent the Heartland Cafeteria. I find the food to be good and reasonably priced. I would like to commend the Dietary Staff for all of their hard work. I can't even imagine cooking for so many people everyday. Heartland does a great service for their patients and the community. Thanks, Heartland!
RJW
Some restaurants have not been added to the list yet. I assure you that these will eventually be added. It has nothing to do with who advertises with us.
Ricky Gipson
Sr. Web Designer
Heartland ranks as the best in town for healthy, clean eating by a 3rd party source. Way to go, Heartland! Maybe some of the "unclean" restaurants could visit the Chef at Heartland to learn some tips on taking care of customers and appropriately training dozens of staff members.
heartland has its share of critical violations.....
Month: September
Critical Health Violations: Employee eating in kitchen; water standing in ice machine; dirty slicer; water temperature not warm enough at hand wash sink
Other Inspector Observations: Some foods not stored six inches off floor; wiping clothes not stored in sanitizer bucket; mold growth on ice chutes
Month: April
Critical Health Violations: Water temperature not warm enough at hand wash sink; unsanitized dining tables; unlabeled spray bottle; uncovered foods; dented cans
Other Inspector Observations: Wet wares not being air dried before being stored; mildew/mold growth on seals and gaskets; clean dishes stored on cloth; dirty reach-in cooler
"Health inspectors consider the food served at Heartland Regional Medical Center to be the best in town."
No offense, but I will listen to the health inspectors opinion over yours, heritage. No place is perfect, but Heartland consistently achieves a passing grade with health inspections.
Please provide a link to your sources. Thanks!
Maybe the health inspector can assist with the staph infection? Might be outside the cafeteria, but if it is clean there, perhaps that same amount of "precaution" could be utilized in all other areas?
iamheartland..... IF you had taken the time to peruse the commentary on the companion article on this subject you would have seen the link which the NP has now instituted which publishes the results of the inspections. it is currently only available on the internet version. have a look.
www.stjoenews.net/restaurantinspections
other establishments have been shut down for two back to back critical inspections which were not corrected. as you can clearly see the hand wash sink was cited in april, and not corrected in september.
nwmo..... or maybe the chef could start performing medical procedures? LMAO
So were these health violations bad enough to warrant a shutdown of the establishment? No. Heartland is considered by the health department as one of the best and cleanest places to eat in St. Joseph... period. I'm not sure why you decided to begin denigrating Heartland for achieving this accolade. Are you so blinded by your hate of Heartland that you can't recognize when they do something well?
BTW, there is no "staph problem" at Heartland. You're basing that assumption on erroneous information from the past that no longer exists. Heartland is considered by the CDC as a benchmark hospital for staph prevention. Get your FACTS straight please.
Way to go, Heartland Dietary for keeping the level of food prep high in this city. Keep up the great work! :)
I wasn't aware that there was a Heartland flavored Kool-Aid.
sorry heartland, but i have doctor friends here who have advised me quietly that their Family Members do not have invasive procedures at heartland because of the presence of an ongoing infection problem.
i do know that other restaurants here have been severely punished for having back to back repeat critical violations. clearly the hand wash sink is one. if heartland is getting different treatment than other establishments, that is a problem.
i don't hate heartland. i am an informed individual who does not choose my health care provider on proximity. i am not denigrating the physicians , nurses, staff, or administration, but i choose to go to KCU for my more acute medical situations. i do not think that the CORPORATE policy of heartland is good for this community. i especially abhor their attempt to "buy" a supporter in the legislature in the most recent election ( this is not to indicate that their candidate of choice was open to graft). i sincerely hope that dr. schaff continues to pursue his quest for more diversity in medical care options in this city.
I've eaten at most places in Joe Town and have yet to get sick. Thank you to all of you who serve us delicious, yummy in my tummy foods. I love you... LOL What a pointless article.
If all of those violations were noted at Heartland and that is considered the best, maybe we should raise our expectations some?
devinbroncs123, go eat at the Taco Bell on the South Belt, near Walmart.
If you are ever constipated, that is the place to eat, it will purge you.
I quit going there, I thought it was a fluke the first time.
And the second....
And the third.....
And the, well, I was a glutton for punishment.
Never had a problem at the other Taco Bells
Give it up, iamheartland. The Heartland Haters can't stand it when people state positive comments about Heartland. They can't possibly find anything good to say about Heartland since they have decided that Heartland is bad for the community. No matter the topic of the article, you'll be charged with a) drinking the Kool-aid, b) being in collusion with all civic and government agencies to subvert all competition in the area, c) working for an uncaring, staph-filled Hall of Horrors that kills everyone that comes in. It's truly pathetic.
This article was written by an experienced SJNP writer. The reporter spoke directly with Heartland and the Health Inspector and knows the real story behind the inspections. The article was then proofed for accuracy by the SJNP editors. Heritage wants people to believe that all these people are in cahoots with one another and are trying to get one past the community. It must be very useful to be an expert on all things at all times. No one could possibly know more about the health inspection process than heritage. *rollseyes*
I join the "Kool-aid drinkers" who recognize that the Dietary staff at Heartland deserves kudos for keeping their kitchen and food safe and clean. Great article Mr. Safi. Thank you for taking the time to understand the real story.
suzyQ, I spoke with the chef at Heartland and the process leader over Dietary to get their POV on this article. They assured me that every one of those violations was dealt with either while the health inspector was still on-site or very quickly after. The issue that heritage is stuck on about the water temperature at the hand-washing station was resolved after Heartland looked into the issue and realized that it wasn't an employee training problem, but a hardware issue. Now, every sink in the kitchen has its own hot-water heater to ensure that the water comes out immediately and at the proper temperature. It's this attention to detail that allows the health inspectors to count Heartland as one of the top places to eat in St. Joe.
The health inspectors give restaurants every chance to resolve their issues before they are cited or shut-down. The Heartland kitchen has about 95 people working in it at any given time. There are two sections of the kitchen, one that specifically caters to the patients and the other side for the front-end cafe. The number of violations is directly affected by the sheer volume of food that is prepared and served at Heartland. What sets Heartland apart from other establishments is that the health inspector knows that if a critical violation is found, Heartland will fix it immediately. If it's not fixed immediately, it's fixed in a timely manner once the process is determined that finds why the issue occurred in the first place, e.g. the water heaters. I hope that helps clarify the situation for you.
Actually after thinking about it, and downing my favorite grape Kool-Aid (wink-wink), I came back on here to comment my own remark, but I see a couple of you already beat me to it. I was just thinking that the sheer volume that Heartland cooks for, prepares every day, those are pretty minor violations considering. I have no doubt they would be immediately addressed. There was nothing there after I got to reading like some of the other restuarants, such as La mesa, First Ward, Houlihans. Seriously,I dont think I will every look at these restaurants the same...and my La mesa eating days are definitely over...and to think I loved those chips and cheese. I digress.
But on that note, I would NOT hesitate to grab a meal at Heartland cafe if I was out there. And I cannot say one thing wrong about my meals as a recent inpatient. I did have good care, one nurse kind of handled me rough, but that was one nurse out of probably about 20-25 care providers that handled me during my stay ....and I had no complaints about the food (cept maybe too much broccoli-ack)!
Actually, I think the dietary part of the hospital is probably one of the better depts there! Plus to boot every time I have been there, I have been greeted by smiling personable dietary employees. That says alot.
I was more meaning with my comment that we should expect better (near perfect) from any food handlers than some of the things discussed (not Hearltand specific) I am glad there is someone out there that looks out for us, regardless of his/her shape, size, color, religion, political preference, or sexual-orentation (referring to other recent article discussions) etc!) Whether a chain restaurant, mom & pop, hospital, whatever, I wanna know!
devinbroncs, I have unfortunately been on the end of some bad effects of improperly handled food, I can say without a doubt it is not fun! I don't see this article as pointless. I want to know how my food is handled, how my kids food, etc. should we decide to eat out. Besides if stuff like this is published, it would hold them a little more accountable and little less "lazy".
I am beginning to wonder now what was that ground beef or mouse droppings...or worse! *shudder* Excuse mee...I think I just puked a little.
i did not start the heartland discussion. i posted pertinent information readily available in the news press site. i did not say that heartland is getting preferential treatment, i said if they were it would be a problem....... as it should be. it would be a problem for me to find that preferential treatment was in ANY case. i definitely do not think it is appropriate for a city employee to call people who are working lazy, or to make comments such as being offered sex. it seems that some of you truly get your tails in a twist at the slightest comment regarding heartland.
geez whats all the fuss EAT AT HOME! I am amazed at what gets people riled up
susiesocialist...I would much prefer to eat at home, I wish I had more time to!! Home cooked is way better, I definitely agree. But there are times when I would like...err no deserve a break and times I would like to treat my family to an outing, I would like to know what kind of establishment I am exposing my family to, know what I mean? BTW love your name!
And on that note, why the heck was the page with all the health inspection info taken down? If I would have known that I would have copied it first so I could do some more reading up! Is there another way to get that access to that info?
; ) i copied it.
You are wise heritage, very wise!!!
...and here I thought, hopes, that they had plans to add to the info???
i am sure it is just a glitch. i don't believe the NP is trying to cover for any entity on that list or to bamboozle her readers. i only copied it to do some comparisons on frequency of inspections, numbers of critical infractions compared to size, ethnicity, ownership, etc .......... perhaps the paper is planning a follow up article?
How about if you just click on the giant link on the home page that says "Check out the News Press Restaraunt inspections page"?
Doesn't look like it's being hidden to me.
Gee thanks anyways Shadow, but I already see that. I don't think that GIANT link was there when I originally posted, maybe it was in the works...or maybe I missed it, who knows, but I am grateful it is back.
Thanks News Press!!
Who wouldn't want our food establishments inspected?? (Except for those places who have something to hide or are determined to be "lazy" when it comes to doing things right. These places are inspected for the good of the public. I am glad that the News Press has taken the time and effort to publish the findings. As for the establishments who are found in constant or repeated violations... If they are not willing to right their wrongs, then I wouldn't want to eat anything from there anyway. To Rick Mesa: Keep up the good work! And thank you for trying to keep us all safe!
ghawkins- I agree 110%. I am amazed as I read through some of these that inspection after inspection, many of the same violations are mentioned or they worsen.
...and so much of it is common sense issues. Like you DO NOT use trash cans for a counter??!!?? Cleanliness issues - how hard is it to know that? To wash hands? Clean the food prep area. Not to handle food with unlgoved and open bleeding wounds when you have Hepatis C? Storing raw foods with cooked? Knowingly storing foods at incorrect temps or in coolers that aren't working. Expiration dates are there for a reason folks. And one of my favorites, if you have a pest problem, PLEASE call an expert and get it taken care of. I see alot of mouse feces, roaches, numerous flies (I wonder how many times those flies landed on my food and do what flies do when they land) and this all before the untrained folks with "no sense of food safety" handles or manages the food we eat.
You can bet your bottom dollar, I will check "the list" before I go out to eat. If you are a restaurant that cannot fix the issues or keep things clean and sanitary, you WILL lose business.
Thank you again to the inspectors and News Press!
You know this has me thinking. What about the grocery stores here in town that provide meals, deli, fried chicken, etc. I was at one WallyWorld that I refuse to buy from out of there case. Something about the 30 dead flies around their fried chicken and hot food case there for all the world to see did it for me.
So we have some reastaurants and hospital, what about the schools? My kids on SEVERAL occasions have complained to me about things in their school lunch that aren't suppose to be there! I can give details, but it will gag you a bit. A couple of my kids will even skip lunch and wait until they get home to eat (if they didnt take a meal because supposedly it is way uncool to take a meal from junior high on). I, myself, have witnessed preparing food without gloves, expired or spoiled milk amongst other things (the not-so chicken-chicken patties/nuggets-but I guess that might lend more towards a quality issue).
Where can I get a copy of the list??? I tried the link and it says page not found. I looked at it once and then it wasw gone!!!
type in this link. http://www.stjoenews.net/news/special/restaurantinspections/
This comment was removed by the site staff.
suzyQ January 11, 2009 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)....and while am at it here about Mexican food, if you want real authentic tamales, that new Mexican bakery on King Hill Ave across from the $1 store has them fresh daily and are also wonderful, so are the fresh tortillas and other sweet bread and pastries.
I think the public should be aware of the restaurants, grocery deli's/kitchens, and convience stores that offer foods cooked on site around the area including the rural areas (small towns). We as a public should know if people are getting ill in numbers from an establishment because management is to lazy and cheap worrying about the hours going over and paying out wages vs paying wages and having a clean and properly sanitized/food stored establishment then I don't want to eat there. I worked fast food I remember seeing mice in the back room staff lockers. That's why I never used the lockers even in winter I hate mice. I've special ordered burgers and looked on it to see if was prepared correctly and seen what looked like "wiped" off what I didn't want on it because I could still see smear. What if I'm allergic to what they smeared off and try hiding by adding extra other condiments. I have a right to know. If your going to post arrests, births, court reports, bankruptcy than whats any different about restaurant inspections. I wanna see if the restaurant improves the situation upon the inspectors next visit prior to returning to some of the resturants I ate on a regular basis.
how can the schools get 100 % clean bill of health. i worked on the remodeling at 2 of the schools. cockroaches and mice everywhere. when we tore out an old water fountain, cockroaches run everwhere. they where there when i went to school, 50,s and 60,s and they were there in 2003 and 4. they are there now and everybody knows it. is it a coverup or are the inspectors not doing their job? i worked at lafayette, and benton
My, my, my, i see where the kansas city school district failed their inspections. Wow! It,s a miracle!. No it,s just the truth, the inspectors are actually doing their jobs. It,s simply amazing to me that k.c schools get critical violations for mice, cockroaches, and rats, but st joe schools don,t have them, yeah and if you believe that, i have a Bridge over the Missouri river i,d like to sell you.....cheap......p.s maybe the inspectors from k.c should come up here and do our inspections