Food for Thought Report 4.14 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Aramark manages all of LISD's school cafeterias... and it's evident they run a tight ship! Coronado High School's kitchen had a perfect inspection, with zero critical violations. Same story over at McWhorter Elementary. Congratulations to the Mustangs! The Parkway Primary Academy Panthers come in as our third top performing school and Tubbs Elementary also enjoyed a perfect score.

Food for Thought 4.14 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 4/14/05.

The only school violation inspectors found came at Wolfforth Elementary. An employee did not hand wash for 20 seconds from finger tips to forearms. Aramark says they regularly train employees on proper hand washing procedures. All employees wear gloves while handling food. The employee observed by the health inspector has been reminded of proper procedure.

As for restaurants, it's not all critical violations this week. We have three top performers too. Bubba's Burgers & Fries is a family owned and operated restaurant at 6012 82nd Street. Serving burgers and fresh catfish for almost a year now, they're proud to display their first ever top performer plaque. Manager, Mandy King says, "We continuously train our staff on food safety and health safety issues and our motto here at Bubba's is: if you have time to lean, you have time to clean."

Next, the Ramada Inn has a clean place to eat. Miss Amy's Restaurant inside the Ramada at 6624 I-27 also had a perfect health inspection.

A popular pizza joint 'gathered around the good stuff' for a perfect inspection. The Pizza Hut at 2109 19th Street is our last top performer.

Now to the low performers. Flatlanders at 2419 Broadway is used to coming out on top in Food for Thought, but a busy lunch rush left the kitchen manager behind the day of the inspection. Co-Owner Georgia Benton says, "We've been a top performer several times in the past, this is our first time not to be in that category. We take it extremely seriously. There's been a change in personal over this issue and hopefully it'll never happen again. I don't expect it to happen again."

Benton sat down with NewsChannel 11 to review Flatlanders' inspection report. The first critical violation was received for potato salad held at 58 degrees and sour cream at 62 degrees. Cold foods must be held at 45 degrees or cooler if using the temperature standard. But Benton tells NewsChannel 11 they use a time standard which the health department says is allowed as long as food is used within four hours. Benton tells us the kitchen manager failed to inform the health inspector they were using the time standard.

Further violations included:

• Employees not washing hands between tasks or glove changes.
• A bottle of scotch had part of its lid floating in it.
• Raw beef in the walk in cooler was stored above spices and the ceiling above the food service line was soiled. Both create a cross contamination hazard.
• Cooking utensils were soiled and plates were chipped and cracked.

All critical violations were corrected on sight.

Mario's Drive In at 2001 Clovis Road is our second low performer. Six critical violations were given to Mario's.

• Cooked sausage stored in a reach in cooler was placed directly on a steam table.
• Lettuce and tomatoes were stored on a shelf next to raw beef creating a cross contamination hazard.
• Cooked beans and hot dogs in a reach in cooler were not date marked.
• A hand washing sink was blocked by a mop bucket.
• Sanitizer was not used to manually wash utensils and dishes.
• The ice maker was soiled.

All violations were corrected on site. A manager told NewsChannel 11 he had no comment.

Finishing off the low performer list is Skillet's Restaurant at 6604 I-27. Skillet's also had six critical violations.

• Hashbrowns were held at room temperature, 52 degrees.
• Sausage patties, bacon and cooked hashbrowns were found below the required hot temperature of 140 degrees.
• A hand sink was being used for storage of a spray bottle and wiping cloth, and an open lidded container was found in the kitchen area. Both create hygiene concerns.
• Onions were found spoiled in a moldy bin.
• Improper food storage arrangements created a cross contamination hazard.
• Equipment food contact surfaces were not clean.

A manager at Skillet's says all critical violations have been corrected and they are in good standing with the health department.