Deficient Food Storage and Preparation Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food was stored and prepared in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During a tour of the main kitchen and outbuilding containing the walk-in freezer, surveyors observed that the steel entry door to the freezer was not properly closed, with the bottom rusted through and unable to seal. Significant dirt and debris were present in the outbuilding. Inside the walk-in freezer, there was a substantial build-up of ice on the fan and ceiling, and food items such as hot dogs and bread were not frozen solid, indicating partial defrosting. The freezer's external thermometer read 32°F and the internal thermometer read 28°F, both above the required 0°F or below. The Food Service Director confirmed that the freezer had temporarily turned off, and there was no documentation or log of ongoing temperature monitoring as required by facility policy. Additional observations in the main kitchen included a sticky juice machine, a large bag of cabbage sitting in stagnant water inside the reach-in produce refrigerator, and a dish machine that leaked water from the food trap onto the floor during use. The ice machine was found in a hallway without the required 1-inch air gap between its drain and the floor drain, with the drain sitting in stagnant water. These findings were confirmed by the Food Service Director and Maintenance staff during the survey.