Food for Thought Report 7.27 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

There were a plethora of violations in this weeks Food for Thought, but we start with the good news.

Burger King and Pizza Hut inside the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport and Moe's Southwest Grill at 803 N. University Avenue all were perfect with no critical violations.

Now to the list of low performers.

We start at Great Wall at 1625 University where inspectors found four critical violations.

• Raw chicken and eggs were found at 54 and 55 degrees. Cold food must be 41 degrees or colder.
• Inspectors observed an employee touch their face and then proceed with duties without washing hands.
• Food and non-food contact surfaces in the kitchen were soiled. And a chipped dish was found in the serving area.
• There was no sign requiring customers to use a clean buffet plate.

Management at Great Wall says, "Inspectors came in the next day and said everything was great." The inspection shows that most violations were corrected at the time of the inspection.

Next we head to United Market Street at 3404 50th Street. The restaurant inside the supermarket had four critical violations.

• Fruit salad bowls were being held at 54 degrees and chicken at 61 degrees. Cold foods must be kept at 41 degrees or colder.
• The potential for cross-contamination was observed, including: dirty and in use utensils being stored with clean equipment, raw and cooked products were stored together in a walk-in cooler and raw products were being prepared with ready to eat foods on the prep line.
• Utensils were only being sanitized instead of washed, rinsed and sanitized.
• Food contact surfaces were found soiled.

We contacted United Supermarket's corporate office they tell us, "Everything was corrected at the time of the inspection." They added that, "With regard to the improper cold-hold, repairs were being made to the unit before the inspector even left the store." They say, "We take the mission of food safety and sanitization very seriously."

Cafe J at 2605 19th Street had five critical violations.

• Raw pork, cheese, mashed potatoes and cooked pasta were found between 44 and 46 degrees. Cold foods must be kept at 41 degrees or colder.
• A can of chicken soup, stored with other canned goods, was found with a significant dent.
• A live roach was seen on the floor next to the grill.
• There was no thermometer in a reach-in cooler.
• Plates on the serving line were found chipped. Mildew and mold was found on the interior deflector of the ice machine.

Management at Cafe J released this statement: "Cafe J is in the process of an ownership change. New management, new chefs and a new inspector combined for a poor result. None of the items referred to as 'critical violations' impacted the safety or the quality of the food at Cafe J. All violations were corrected immediately and you can rest assured (this) will not reoccur."

The report shows most of the violations were corrected at the time of the inspection.

Whataburger at 1702 19th Street had six critical violations.

• Ground meat patties and eggs were found between 46 and 53 degrees. They must be kept under the safe temperatures of 41 degrees.
• An employee handled a soiled towel then a food product without washing hands.
• Another employee touched ready-to-eat foods with unsanitized hands.
• Employees' open drinks were found in the food prep area.
• A hose was hooked to an exterior faucet without a breaker to prevent back flow.
• Mildew was found on the ice machine deflector.

Management at Whataburger was not allowed to comment and directed us to their corporate office. This is the statement released: "All issues from the health inspection on July 21 were immediately corrected. The restaurant was re-inspected four days ago with a perfect rating. Our customers are the most important focus at Whataburger and we pride ourselves on providing clean, safe and comfortable dining experiences."

Gloria's Two Restaurant at 1601 50th Drive had seven critical violations.

• A walk-in cooler was found to be holding at 55 degrees with eggs at 51 degrees. Both must be 41 degrees of colder.
• Ready to eat foods were not date marked.
• Dishes were found broken and soiled.
• Hand wash facility did not have hand towels.
• Evidence of flies.
• Evidence of rodent droppings.
• Food contact surfaces were not clean or in good repair.

After repeated attempts, there was no answer at Gloria's for a comment.

The report shows one of the violations was corrected at the time of the inspection.

Food for Thought 7.27 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 7/27/06.