Area restaurant hit with 9 health code violations after inspector finds broken equipment, cockroaches

NORWALK — The following were the results of health department inspections of Norwalk-area food establishments in August: No violationsCravin's; 184 N. Main St., New London; Aug. 2, follow-up inspection — No violations. Inspector's comments: Both cold holding units were keeping proper temperatures.Kicker's Carryout & Drive Thru; 628 U.S. 250 S., Norwalk; Aug. 3, standard inspection — No violations.Obie's Dairybar & Pizza Shack; 683 U.S. 250, Norwalk; Aug. 3, standard inspection — No violations. Inspector's comments: Great job!Millstone Hills Golf Course; 2315 Euclid Road, New London; Aug. 7, standard inspection — No violations. Alexios Concessions I; 35 Cottage Cove, Willard; Aug. 8, standard inspection — No violations.Willard Pool; 561 W. Laurel St., Willard; Aug. 11, standard inspection — No violations.The Candy Depot; 120 E. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 16, standard inspection — No violations.Econo Lodge; 342 Milan Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 21, standard inspection — No violations.Dunkin Donuts; 333 Milan Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 22, standard inspection — No violations. Jenny's Amsden House Restaurant; 116 E. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 22, follow-up inspection — No violations. Inspector's comments: Facility shall keep taking temperatures of dishwasher to ensure that it stays above 170 degrees F. If it does drop below that 170 degrees F, use three-compartment sink with proper sanitizer levels.Miller's Drive-In, LLC; 1345 E. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 22, standard inspection — No violations. Twist And Shout; 167 Sandusky St., Monroeville; Aug. 22, standard inspection — No violations. American Legion Post 547; 8 S. Main St., Monroeville; Aug. 24, standard inspection — No violations.Fisher's Market; 2917 Ohio 61 N., Norwalk; Aug. 24, standard inspection — No violations.Mickey Mart; 227 E. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 24, standard and 30-day inspection — No violations.Twin Lakes Golf Course; 100 Decker St., Bellevue; Aug. 31, follow-up inspection — No violations. Inspector's comments: Dishwasher functioning properly. Using sanitizing solution with chlorine at 75 PPM. Violation has been corrected. ViolationsNRP - Becky's Hotdogs; 1300 Ohio 18, Norwalk; Aug. 4, standard inspection — Violation: Observed no handwashing sign posted at handwashing sink used by employees. A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands shall be provided at all handwashing sinks used by food employees. I provided person in charge with three hand washing signs.NRP - Norwalk Junction; 1300 Ohio 18, Norwalk; Aug. 4, standard inspection — Violation: Observed test strips for measuring chlorine concentration while quaternary ammonium based sanitizer was being used. To ensure proper sanitization, a test kit or other device that accurately measures the concentration in PPM of sanitizing solutions shall be provided.NRP - Pitside Pizza; 1300 Ohio 18, Norwalk; Aug. 4, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Corrected during inspection — Time/temperature controlled for safety foods were not being held at the proper temperature. Cooler was holding TCS foods at 43-44 degrees F. TCS food shall be held at 135 degrees F or above, or at 41 degrees F or less. Person in charge lowered the temperature setting of the unit. I verified at the end of my inspections that the temperature had dropped to 41 degrees F; Violation: Critical — Corrected during inspection — Refrigerated, ready-to-eat (RTE), TCS foods held refrigerated for more than 24 hours were not properly date marked - cut watermelon and cantaloupe. Melons are TCS food and should be date-marked. Person in charge discarded melons; Violation: Observed no handwashing sign posted at handwashing sink used by employees in restroom. I provided person in charge with three hand washing signs.NRP - Summit Raceway; 1300 Ohio 18, Norwalk; Aug. 4, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Repeat — Corrected during inspection — Some TCS foods were not being held at the proper temperature. TCS foods above 45 degrees F were voluntarily discarded for safety; Violation: Repeat — Observed no handwashing sign posted at handwashing sink used by employees in the ice cream scooping area. I provided person in charge with three hand washing signs.Alivia's; 302 W. Walton St., Willard; Aug. 8, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Repeat — There was no person in charge present in the food facility during inspection. To minimize the risk of contamination, the license holder shall be the person responsible for the FSO or RFE, or may be the person in charge, or shall designate a person in charge and shall ensure that a person in charge with applicable knowledge is present during all hours of operation; Violation: Critical — Observed that ice cream scoops and serving spoons for chicken and sloppy Joes are kept out on the bench at room temperature. Observed that the interior mixer on the flurry machine is dirty and has not been washed yet today since opening. Observed that the can opener blade is dirty and requires washing. Corrected at time of inspection. All utensils were placed to be washed; Violation: Repeat — Food employees did not have their hair effectively restrained. Corrected at time of inspection; Violation: Facility did not have one employee with supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct and control food preparation and service with level two certification in food protection; Violation: Observed single-service items and dry goods being stored in boxes on the floor. Cleaned equipment and utensils, laundered linens, single-service articles, and single-use articles shall be kept off of the floor. Corrected at time of inspection. Items were moved off of the floor.Willard Golf Club; 4000 Ohio 162 W., Willard; Aug. 8, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — TCS foods were not being held at the proper temperature. Shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream were all measuring around 50+ degrees F at time of inspection. They were sitting out for self-service as taco toppings. These items were thrown away at time of inspection; Violation: Food employees did not have their hair effectively restrained. Obtain and wear hair restraints; Violation: Facility did not have one employee with supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct and control food preparation and service with level two certification in food protection. Obtain Level 2 training for one person on staff; Violation: Food prepared in a private home was being used or offered for human consumption. Shredded chicken and chili were made at home; lettuce, cheese and sour cream were bought and stored by a third party at home. Lettuce, cheese and sour cream were disposed because of temperature. As meats were maintaining the proper temperature, they were kept for service. However, this is considered an unapproved source and cannot be repeated. All foods must be bought by the facility from an approved source and kept and prepared onsite so that foods may be closely monitored for food safety before they are served.Hy-Miler; 8 E. Tiffin St., Willard; Aug. 11, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — There was no person in charge present in the food facility during inspection. To minimize the risk of contamination, the license holder shall be the person responsible for the FSO or RFE, or may be the person in charge, or shall designate a person in charge and shall ensure that a person in charge with applicable knowledge is present during all hours of operation; Violation: Observed boxes of single-service cups being stored on the floor of the walk-in freezer. Cleaned equipment and utensils, laundered linens, single-service articles and single-use articles shall be kept off the floor. Corrected at time of inspection — Items were placed onto crates to keep them off of the floor; Violation — Corrected during inspection — Observed mops sitting in dirty mop water. Hang the mop with the bristles down so that dirty mop liquid does not drip down the handle. Corrected at time of inspection. Mop was moved to the service sink.Myers Cider Mill Drive Thru LLC; 3513 Ohio 103 E., Willard; Aug. 11, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Observed that many of the cold held items at the tent were not maintaining a temperature of 41 degrees F or below. Observed that the hot boxes used for keeping chicken hot were no longer keeping temperature. Observed that hot dogs kept in a smaller pan hanging over the main steam bath container were not maintaining temperature. Corrected at time of inspection — All "cold" TCS items were thrown away as they had been out of temperature for an extended period of time. Hot dogs were thrown away. Chicken was reheated to 165 degrees F and kept as it had not been out of temperature for more than two hours; Violation: Food employee(s) did not have their hair effectively restrained. Please obtain and wear hats or hairnets when working with exposed foods; Violation: There is no test kit available for measuring the concentration of the sanitizer. Please obtain test strips; Violation: Equipment and utensils are not being air dried. Recommend obtaining a drying rack for this purpose; Violation: There was no handwashing setup at the tent outside where exposed foods were prepared and served. Some kind of handwashing setup is required at the tent because food is actively handled. A piped connection with potable water and a blue boy would be ideal. Otherwise, even a cooler with warm water with a bucket underneath to catch wastewater would suffice. This sink must be supplied with warm water, handwashing soap, paper towels, a trash can, and an approved wastewater disposal method.Berardi's French Fries; 199 Whittlesey Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 14, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Corrected during inspection — Observed cheese being held in reach-in cooler at 45 degrees F. Person in charge placed cheese in chest freezer to rapidly bring temperatures down. Try to keep reach-in cooler door closed as much as possible; Violation: Repeat — Observed employees preparing food without the proper hair restraints. Employee preparing foods must wear a hat or hairnet in Huron County.Casa Mexicana; 1120 E. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 16, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Repeat — Corrected during inspection — Observed raw chicken stored above tomatoes in walk-in cooler. Person in charge placed chicken on bottom shelf to prevent contamination. Sanitarian educated person in charge regarding proper segregation; Violation: Critical — Repeat — Corrected during inspection — Observed pork in walk-in cooler that was one day past its date mark of Aug. 15. Person in charge threw item away; Violation: Observed spices being stored in plastic drawers that were not made for food storage. Please use food grade containers to store spices and peppers; Violation: Observed no test strips in bar area. Have bar area stocked with test strips; Violation: Observed a build-up of food debris in alcohol cooler in bar area. Clean out cooler along with door grooves; Violation: Observed mini refrigerator in waiter/waitress station to have a significant build-up of food debris on floor of equipment. Clean out mini refrigerator in waitress/waiter station; Violation: Observed prep cooler door to have a significant build-up of food debris. Thoroughly clean prep cooler doors and lid to prevent any contamination of food within the prep cooler; Violation: Observed storage container drawers in waiter/waitress station to have a significant build-up of food crumbs and debris. Ensure that drawers are cleaned out regularly to prevent the build-up of food debris and crumbs.Emielios Little Italy; 105 Kilbourne St., Bellevue; Aug. 16, standard inspection — Violation: Observed household pesticide spray within facility. Please remove household pesticide from facility.Willard Country Kitchen; 429 E. Walton St., Willard; Aug. 17, standard and complaint inspection — Violation: Critical — Observed food employee touching RTE food with bare hands. Corrected at time of inspection — Tomatoes were thrown away during inspection and an explanation given; Violation: Critical — Repeat — Observed that the salad bar was not maintaining food temperatures at 41 degrees F or below. Observed that the hot holding cabinet was not maintaining foods at 135 degrees F or above. Observed that the reach-in cooler to the right of the grill was not maintaining foods at 41 degrees F or below. Observed that the top level of the prep tables by the grill was not maintaining foods at 41 degrees F or below. Corrected at time of inspection — All TCS foods in the salad bar, hot holding cabinet and the reach-in cooler were thrown away as they were above 45 degrees F. Items in the top of the prep cooler, while above 41 degrees F, were below 45 degrees F and were kept to cool back down rapidly in the walk-in cooler that was maintaining proper temperatures; Violation: Critical — Repeat — Observed some foods in the walk-in cooler that either did not have a date mark or had a date mark that gave foods eight days instead of seven. Observed some date marks were correct. Corrected at time of inspection — Advised that the person in charge review the seven day date mark with staff and monitor for accuracy and consistency. No foods were outside of their date mark, so nothing was thrown away, only redated properly; Violation: Critical — Observed the presence of live German cockroaches in the dishwashing area. Facility was already aware of problem and had begun to ramp up pest control service. Proof of this was provided. I explained that while chemical control of pests is indeed an important aspect of pest management, a clean facility is equally important. Cockroaches feed on grease and grime and will be difficult to fully eradicate until these issues are resolved; Violation: Food employee(s) did not have their hair effectively restrained. Please obtain and ensure that all employees wear hats whenever working around exposed foods; Violation: Observed that several pieces of equipment were not in proper working order, including the reach-in cooler, salad bar, prep table top, and hot holding cabinet. Equipment must be fixed and checked by sanitarian prior to placing TCS foods back into units; Violation: Repeat — Observed a build-up of dirt and debris on many surfaces, especially the floor underneath equipment. Facility should be deep cleaned section by section and a regular schedule made to prevent future build-ups of grime.Burger King; 711 W. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 22, standard inspection — Violation: Observed a build-up of food debris on hamburger freezer door tracks. Clean freezer regularly to prevent this build-up; Violation: Observed a build-up of dirt and debris on floor in prep area, floor underneath hand wash sinks, and floor drains in facility. Pay attention to area underneath equipment that might normally be overlooked.Cold Rush Dairy Bar; 1196 W. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 22, standard inspection — Violation: Repeat — Observed a white mini refrigerator in facility. When equipment breaks down or is replaced, replace with a commercial piece of equipment; Violation: Observed a significant build-up of food debris on bottom of toppings freezer. Regularly wipe out piece of equipment to prevent this build-up of food debris; Violation: Observed a build-up of dust and grease on hood over stove. Keep the hood over the stove clean to prevent the possible contamination of food cooking below.Friendship Food Store; 275 Milan Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 22, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Observed the presence of flies in prep area of facility as well as fruit flies in the donut case; Violation: Observed a household slow cooker being used to cook rice; Violation: No thermometer was placed in carryout cooler or hot holding equipment; Violation: Repeat — There is no test kit available for measuring the concentration of the sanitizer. Food employee advised they had just run out and had ordered more; Violation: Repeat — Door to prep cooler was off its hinges. Food employee advised they had put in a work order for repair; Violation: Ice scoop was cracked down the middle. Utensils shall be maintained in a sate of good repair or shall be discarded; Violation: Ice catcher of pop machine has a build-up of stagnant water that has begun to mildew. Ice catcher should be cleaned. Ice condensate has built up in freezer, surrounding some product. Freezer should be defrosted and cleaned to prevent possibility of contamination. Outside of ice machine in storage is dirty; Violation: Observed dead flies in reach-in cooler, as well as dead bees on top of ice cream freezer. Dead or trapped birds, insects, rodents, and other pests shall be removed from control devices and the premises at a frequency that prevents their accumulation, decomposition, or the attraction of pests.Vargo's Drive-In; 192 Milan Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 24, standard inspection — Violation: Repeat — Observed non-commercial grade stove in facility. Food equipment that is acceptable for use in a FSO or RFE shall be approved by a recognized food equipment testing agency.Wendy's; 426 W. Main St., Bellevue; Aug. 24, standard inspection — Violation: Critical — Repeat — Corrected during inspection — Observed lettuce being held in prep cooler by grill to have a temperature of 49 degrees F. Person in charge voluntarily threw item away. Spoke with person in charge and district manager regarding rearranging prep cooler so that non-TCS foods are closer to the grill and TCS foods are further away to keep them at 41 degrees F or below.Taco Bell; 325 Milan Ave., Norwalk; Aug. 25, standard and complaint inspection — Violation: Critical — Corrected during inspection — Some mildew on the food-contact area of the ice dispenser on the pop machine. To prevent contamination, equipment food-contact surfaces and utensils shall be clean to sight and touch. Employee cleaned the ice dispenser.Willard Country Kitchen; 429 E. Walton St., Willard; Aug. 25, follow-up inspection — Violation: Critical — Repeat — Observed the presence of live German cockroaches in the dishwashing area. Facility was already aware of problem and had begun to ramp up pest control service. Proof of this was provided. I explained that while chemical control of pests is indeed an important aspect of pest management, a clean facility is equally important. Cockroaches feed on grease and grime and will be difficult to fully eradicate until these issues are resolved; Violation: Repeat — Observed a build-up of dirt and debris on many surfaces, especially the floor underneath equipment. Facility should be deep cleaned section by section and a regular schedule made to prevent future build-ups of grime. Inspector's comments: All equipment has been fixed. Temperature logs are being regularly taken. Facility must now focus on pest problem.