Ongoing Kitchen Sanitation, Structural Damage, and Improper Food Storage Under Active Leaks
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards and its own sanitation and food storage policies. Intermittent observations of the kitchen revealed an active ceiling leak near the walk‑in refrigerator and freezer, with a large opening in the plaster ceiling and a tarp suspended to divert water into a floor drain. An adjacent air conditioning ventilation unit was actively leaking, resulting in standing water pooled on the floor in front of the walk‑in units. Under this leaking area, staff had stationed tray catties holding numerous food covers and plate warmers, and a metal shelving unit extended under the tarp holding multiple uncovered condiments and food items such as salt, pepper, sugar, creamer packets, and containers of peanut butter. Additional observations showed widespread sanitation and maintenance problems in the kitchen. There was a significant accumulation of gray, dusty debris on ceiling pipes throughout the kitchen, including above food preparation and serving stations. The hand wash sink near the kitchen entry had an active drainpipe leak when in use, with a stack of partially wet paper towels in the basin and a non‑working paper towel dispenser above it. The wall behind the stove, oven, and two‑bay sink was heavily soiled with thick black grease and food debris and had broken and missing wall tiles, with peeled plaster in areas behind the stove, oven, and above the two‑bay sink. The commercial oven range’s exterior surfaces were heavily coated with grease and food debris, and staff acknowledged the stove should be cleaned after each meal but that it was not being cleaned properly. The walk‑in freezer also exhibited multiple structural and cleanliness issues. The freezer door gasket was not securely attached and protruded between the door and unit, and there was black debris on the freezer window, condensation and ice buildup on the interior and exterior lower sides of the door, and a large accumulation of ice on the floor and ceiling inside the unit. Interviews with the Food Service Director, Administrator, and Maintenance Supervisor confirmed that the kitchen ceiling leak and roof issues had been ongoing for months, that the freezer had required repeated service for condensation and ice buildup, and that broken and missing wall tiles had been a known issue since the prior year. Staff also acknowledged that condiments and tray catties should not be stored under the leaking ceiling, that the gasket needed replacement, that the pipes over prep areas should be cleaned, and that the wet paper towels at the hand sink should not be used, confirming ongoing noncompliance with the facility’s sanitation and food storage policies.
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