Food for Thought: 9/19/19

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Two well-known locations have been allowed to reopen after health inspectors forced them to close their doors and clean up following their latest inspection.

Dragon Buffet at 5608 Slide had 20 violations.

• Raw chicken and crawfish were sitting out at room temperature for at least an hour.
• Cooked chicken was not at least 135 degrees.
• Chicken was stored over beef in the cooler, and eggs were on top of veggies.
• Frozen chicken, beef and crawfish were submerged in water in a prep sink to thaw. Food items must be thawed under running water or in the refrigerator.
• The can opener was dirty. Utensils were in a greasy container. The sanitizer solution was at toxic levels.
• Cans were dented. This can cause botulism.
• An employee handled raw meat and then cooked meat - without washing their hands.
• There was live roaches in the storage area. Fly strips were hanging in the kitchen. The back door toward the alley was open.
• Ointment was on a shelf over food prep.
• There were no paper towels at a hand was sink.
• The door of the walk-in cooler was damaged.
• Wiping clothes were laying around the kitchen.
• There was ice build up in the walk-in-freeze and the cooler. Water droplets in the walk-in-cooler were dripping onto food items.
• Wet containers were stacked together.
• Vents in the dry storage area were dirty.
• Vents over the grill were greasy.
• Walls and floors were dirty.
• There was no hand washing sign for employees.
• The certified food manager certificate was expired.
• All the food handler cards for the employees were expired.

Again, the facility was forced to close for 24. They were allowed to reopen the following day after a re-inspection.

Fast Eddie’s at 7301 University was forced to close after a total of 23 violations were found in the bar and kitchen. (9/16)

• An employee did not wash their hands when changing tasks.
• The waste pipe at a hand sink was leaking.
• There was no soap at the hand sink and several items were in the hand sink. Hand sink are for hand washing only to prevent cross contamination.
• There is no 3-compartment sink for ware washing in the kitchen.
• The microwave was dirty. Shakers were dirty. The reach-in cooler and reach-in freezers were dirty and had water in the bottom.
• A plastic container was damaged.
• An ash tray was inside a box of foil.
• The sanitizer bucket was on the floor.
• A scrub pad was not stored properly.
• Shakers were not labeled.
• A spray bottle was not labeled.
• The reach-in freeze was dirty and has frost build up.
• Kitchen walls are damaged and dirty. The floors are dirty and damaged.
• There were no paper towels in the men’s room, and a toilet in the women’s restroom was soiled. Floors in both bathrooms were sticky.
• In the bar area:
• A shaker was not labeled.
• A retail sticker was not removed from a shaker. There was heavy frost build up in a reach-in freezer.
• A spray bottle was not labeled. A spray bottle was stored over utensils.
• An ice scoop and an ice bucket were cracked.
• An ice bucket was on the floor.
• Wiping towels were not stored in the sanitizer bucket in between uses.
• The soda gun holder was dirty.
• The floor is dirty under the ice bin. Personal items were stored over utensils.

The inspector notes, due to the number and the nature of the violations management did not show proper food safety knowledge.

The facility was re-inspected and allowed to reopen after correcting their violations.

Now to the good news.

Here's a look at this week's top performers:

• Mi Taco Village at 220 Regis
• Short and Sweets Bakery at 2610 Salem Ave.
• Lubbock Nutrition at 3520 50th
• Little Woodrow’s at 6313 66th
• Now We Taco’n (mobile)
• Red Dawgs (mobile)
• Ricchezza’s Philly Cheesesteak (mobile)
• Riley’s Smokehouse (mobile)
• Kona Ice (mobile)

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