Sewage wastewater backup, cockroach infestation and houseflies “too numerous to count” were among the violations leading to closures and failures of eateries across the county since April.
In total, 20 establishments were cited for serious or critical health code violations between April 1 and June 30, according to a review of inspection records.
The cafeteria at Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana was among seven area-wide food spots temporarily shut down by health inspectors who found repeated violations. (See related story)
In addition, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District failed 13 food establishments and suspended two for 2016-2017 permit fee violations.
Local health officials inspect food service facilities for compliance across nearly four dozen health and safety items – including critical violations and risk factors.
A food establishment fails with an adjusted score of 35 or less on a 100-point scale. Scores are adjusted for repeat and critical violations.
A restaurant is automatically closed if its adjusted score falls below 0 or if there are critical violations that pose an immediate health threat to public safety. Restaurants can also be closed if they do not pay their annual permit fee. Establishments can stay open with scores between 0 and 35, but they must be re-inspected within 30 days.
Eateries within Champaign-Urbana are required to post a color-coded placard indicating the health inspection results – green for passing, yellow for failure and re-inspection and red for closure. Restaurants outside the two cities are not required to post placards because county board members say the placards might give customers a “false sense of security”.
The health department has also suspended the food permit for the mobile business KAAM’s Choice Steak and Seafood, 1106 Olen Dr., Mahomet for nonpayment of its 2016-2017 permit fees. The Center for Hope Church’s food pantry also lost its health permit on May 18 because it did not submit a 2016-2017 permit application, according to health department records.
Other closures between April 1 and June 30 include:
Champaign Country Club, 1211 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign
Inspectors closed the country club down on May 11 after it scored an adjusted negative 6 and received 11 critical violations including several food items out of safe temperature range. It was allowed to reopen on May 13 after it corrected the violations and an inspector gave it an adjusted score of 98. See related story.
Dublin O’Neil’s/301 Mongolia, 301 N. Neil St., Champaign
Inspectors failed the restaurant on May 2 with an adjusted score of 28. They noted five critical violations including several food items out of safe temperature ranges and no hot water in the women’s restroom.
As of June 2, the restaurant had not submitted a request for re-inspection.
Inspectors visited the facility to conduct a re-inspection and founded a critical repeat violation, at which time they stopped the inspection. Records do not specify the critical repeat violation, but the restaurant lost its permit to serve food.
On June 3, the restaurant submitted a request for re-inspection after attending a mandatory office conference with health inspectors.
During a re-inspection on June 3, inspectors noted uncorrected violations and did not reinstate the permit. On June 6, the inspectors noted uncorrected violations and stopped the inspection.
On June 7, a successful re-inspection was conducted and the restaurant was allowed to reopen. The facility passed with an adjusted score of 88 and no critical violations.
Family Table Restaurant, 1724 E. Grove Ave., Rantoul
The restaurant was temporarily closed on June 14 after inspectors gave it an adjusted score of negative 5 and cited it for nine critical violations. Critical violations included several types of food at unsafe temperature ranges in various locations, including a walk-in cooler. Additionally, employees were observed not washing their hands on several instances. The inspector also saw a home defense insecticide spray for pests; health codes require food establishments to use licensed pest control.
At a June 15 meeting at the health department, owners provided documentation for corrective action to inspectors, but because they did not address all the violations, a follow up inspection has not been conducted.
Additional documentation was provided by the close of business on June 15. Health inspectors confirmed that all violations were addressed on June 16, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen. Inspectors gave it an adjusted score of 82 and found only one critical violation.
Kato’s Cajun, 2000 N. Neil St., Unit 716, Champaign
Although the restaurant received an adjusted passing score of 49 and three critical violations on its June 8 inspection, inspectors suspended the restaurants food service permit after they noted an infestation of cockroaches crawling from the dish-area hand sink and paper towel holder.
Other violations include a broken cooler and employees who did not wash their hands.
During a follow-up visit on June 9, the facility was allowed to reopen after clearance from pest control.
Microtel Inn, 1615 Rion Dr., Champaign
Inspectors temporarily closed the motel’s food service facility on April 26 following the motel’s failure to replace a cabinet and countertop that had not been approved.
Inspectors cited the motel for using an unapproved base cabinet and countertop during a routine inspection February 19.
The restaurant scored a 97 on that inspection and no critical violation.
As of March 21, the cabinet had not been replaced, and the motel was counseled to do so.
On April 26, inspectors noted that the cabinet had still not been replaced and closed the food facility. The motel replaced the unapproved cabinet with approved replacement equipment and its food facility was allowed to reopen on April 29.
Neil St. Food and Liquor, 701 N. Neil St., Champaign
The liquor store failed its March 21 inspection with seven critical violations and an adjusted score of 16. Inspectors cited the store for fresh rodent droppings on storage racks holding bagged chips and tongs. Additionally, scoops at the Italian beef station were resting in soiled, stagnant water, and an employee failed to wash his hands.
The store did not submit a request for re-inspection within 30 days following its failed inspection.
Inspectors closed the place after finding a risk factor violation during a re-inspection on April 18. It is unclear what the violation was.
Although the store submitted a request for re-inspection the same day, the corrective violations it submitted were “inadequate,” and the store was required to address all the violations from the March inspection.
The store was required to attend a conference on April 19. It submitted corrective action that was deemed adequate, and it was allowed to reopen after an inspection netted it an adjusted score of 98 with no critical violations.
Failures include:
Am-Ko Oriental Food and Gifts, 101 E. Springfield Ave., Champaign
The store failed its health inspection on April 13 with an adjusted score of 16 and seven critical violations. Inspectors found spoiled food items and other food items out of safe temperature ranges. Cockroaches were also found in the employee bathroom.
It passed its re-inspection on May 9 with an adjusted score of 65 and one critical violation.
BBQ Premium Chicken, 700 S. Gregory St., Ste. F, Urbana
The restaurant failed its June 20 inspection with an adjusted score of 31 and nine critical violations. Inspectors observed several instances of employees who did not wash their hands. It passed its re-inspection on July 8 with an adjusted score of 98 and no critical violations.
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano, 2235 S. Neil St., Champaign
The restaurant failed its routine health inspection on May 13 with an adjusted score of 16 and eight critical violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for several food items out of safe temperature ranges and employees who didn’t wash hands. It passed its re-inspection on June 1 with an adjusted score of 38 and three critical violations.
Carmella’s Crème, 1611 W. Springfield Ave., Champaign
The restaurant failed its health inspection on April 14 with an adjusted score of 22 and five critical violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having only one restroom after noting the women’s restroom was closed for lack of hot and cold water to the hand sink. It was closed for about 45 minutes until a plumber could repair the hot and cold water in the women’s restroom. Inspectors also noted employees who didn’t wash hands and “drain flies too numerous to count” throughout the prep kitchen and mop area.
It passed its re-inspection on May 11 with an adjusted score of 64 and one critical violation – the drain flies were still there. The restaurant had a signed contract for three months of pest control.
Clark Bar, 207 W. Clark St., Champaign
The bar failed its April 15 health inspection with an adjusted score of 13 and six critical violations. Inspectors found food items out of safe temperature ranges and observed employees who didn’t wash hands.
The bar passed its re-inspection on April 28 with an adjusted score of 78 and no critical violations.
Espresso Royal (Art Museum), 500 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign
The coffee shop failed its June 10 inspection with an adjusted score of 3 and eight critical violations, including food without dates and an employee who didn’t wash hands between handling money, making a drink and grabbing a pastry with tongs for a customer.
The eatery passed its re-inspection on July 11 with an adjusted score of 39 and three critical violations.
KFC, 2201 W. Springfield Ave., Champaign
The restaurant failed its April 20 inspection with an adjusted score of 27 and four critical violations. The health inspector noted waste water leaking from the floor while the faucet on the hand sink was running. The restaurant was ordered to correct within 24 hours.
It passed its re-inspection on May 19 with an adjusted score of 73 and one critical violation.
KFC/A&W, 1321 Dunlap Ave., Savoy
The restaurant failed its health inspection on June 22 with an adjusted score of 22 and seven critical violations. A health inspector condemned a dish machine used to wash and sanitize root beer mugs as it was out of sanitizer. The inspector also noted that a floor drain on the drive-through side of the restaurant was backed up and a pool of waste water had accumulated. The drive through was temporarily closed for about 30 minutes until repaired by a plumber.
The restaurant passed its re-inspection on July 25 with an adjusted score of 54 and one critical violation.
Lacy’s Famous Kansas City Style BBQ, 119 W. Main St., Urbana
The restaurant failed its April 29 inspection with an adjusted score of 6 and nine critical violations. Critical violations included food at unsafe temperature ranges, a broken cooler, an employee who didn’t wash his hands, a lack of sanitizer and paint and cleaning chemicals improperly stored with clean pans and equipment.
It passed its re-inspection on June 1 with an adjusted score of 73 and two critical violations.
McDonald’s @ Road Ranger, 4910 N. Market St., Champaign
The restaurant failed its April 19 inspection with an adjusted score of 31 and six critical violations. A health inspector noted several food items out of safe temperature ranges, a broken reach-in cooler and “numerous drain flies” in the kitchen by the coffee station and dish area.
It passed its re-inspection on May 19 with an adjusted score of 55 and one critical violation.
Red Wheel Restaurant, 741 Broadmeadow Rd., Rantoul
The restaurant failed its June 13 inspection with an adjusted score of 23 and five critical violations. A health inspector noted food at unsafe temperature ranges, a cooler that was not working and an employee who didn’t wash hands.
It failed its re-inspection on July 13 with an adjusted score of negative 6 and eight critical violations. The restaurant was cited for food at unsafe temperatures and an employee who did not wash hands, as well as “houseflies in quantities too numerous to count” in the dish area and the wait station.
Its food permit was temporarily suspended that afternoon, according to inspection records.
It was allowed to reopen on July 19 with an adjusted score of 97 and no critical violations.
Sam’s Café, 115 N. Walnut St., Champaign
The restaurant failed its May 20 inspection with an adjusted score of 24 and six critical violations.
A health inspector noted food at unsafe temperature ranges and an employee who did not wash hands between handling of hazardous food – such as raw bacon and eggs — and then handling toast.
It passed its re-inspection on May 25 with an adjusted score of 87 and no critical violations.
San Maru, 2504 Village Green Pl., Champaign
The restaurant failed its May 25 inspection with an adjusted score of 7 and eight critical violations. A health inspector noted several food items out of safe temperature ranges and improper cooling of food.
It passed its re-inspection on June 9 with an adjusted score of 71 and one critical violation.
wowwwwww……..Seriously what’s wrong with these guys!!
My family went to the Chinese buffet on market view drive by Lowe’s a couple of weeks ago and there were cockroaches on the dessert bar crawling across the lemon bars. I screamed and they brushed the bug off and put the platter back out. I will NEVER go back!