Articles stored on floor, dusty fridge fan. See Centre County May restaurant inspections

Matt DiSanto
·7 min read

Two Centre County restaurants were found out of compliance following food safety inspections conducted throughout May.

Information about county establishments and their violations appears below in an alphabetical list with a summary of the problems inspectors noted in their respective reports. More details are available upon request by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s online database.

Nearly 70 other establishments passed their inspections with few or no violations. They also appear alphabetically below.

Business owners who want to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com. Comments will be added to online stories.

About food safety inspections

By law, Pennsylvania’s eating and drinking establishments are inspected at least once per year. Some schools, including the State College Area School District, receive biannual inspections.

The commonwealth’s Department of Agriculture may conduct additional inspections if complaints are received or if initial inspections are not up to code.

Most violations are minor and are corrected during inspections, but some establishments may temporarily close if too many violations are found. Closures may occur as a result of other issues, including risks for foodborne illnesses or violations that take time to address, like broken plumbing or pest infestations.

Most inspections in Centre County are conducted on a state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities conduct their own health inspections through certified officials who fall under their jurisdiction. State College, for example, is responsible for performing inspections in the borough and in Ferguson, Patton and College townships, a borough official said.

Once inspections are complete and reports are published, you can browse them online by visiting pafoodsafety.state.pa.us/web/inspection/publicinspectionsearch.aspx. You can look up establishments by name or filter results to specific cities, counties or ZIP codes.

Out-of-compliance inspections

Bagel Crust, 332 E. Calder Way in State College — Five violations were found during a May 26 routine inspection. The inspection found shell eggs, milk and other food were stored above the required threshold of 41 degrees or below. Ready-to-eat food, like macaroni salad and coleslaw, was held for more than 48 hours and not marked with the date it was opened (a repeat violation, according to the report). Thermometers were not available or accessible for a small milk refrigerator, while a drying shelf situated above a three-compartment sink had flaking wood and was exposed to moisture. Additionally, a condenser fan in the walk-in refrigerator had a dusty buildup and needed to be cleaned.

South Philly Cheesesteaks, 2782 Earlystown Road in Centre Hall — Eight violations were found during a May 10 routine inspection. According to the report, the inspection found a sink in the food prep area does not have water at a temperature of at least 85 degrees, while another sink continually runs unless it is turned off manually with a valve located underneath the sink. Single-service, single-use articles stored in the food prep area were observed directly on the floor.

Half of South Philly Cheesesteaks’ violations revolved around food safety. According to the report, the facility did not have available chlorine sanitizer test strips or thermometers to ensure proper food temperatures. Additionally, the restaurant lacked food employee certification — both an employee with certification and a food manager certificate, which must be valid and properly displayed.

“The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection,” sanitarian Brenda Tyler wrote in her inspection report, likely referring to the highest-ranking employee on the premises during her visit.

A May 19 follow-up inspection found no violations.

How to complain about conditions

If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint to catch officials’ attention.

To notify the commonwealth about questionable conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, call 1-866-366-3723 or fill out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s food safety complaint form, available online at pda.pa.gov/FoodSafetyComplaint/. The form asks for consumer information, facility details and a full description of each complaint.

You can also contact the commonwealth’s Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services directly by calling 717-787-4315 or emailing RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov.

Locally, you can report concerns to State College officials by calling 814-234-7100 or emailing healthdept@statecollegepa.us.

These businesses passed inspections in May

  • ABB Bison Ent., 250 Sayers Road in Bellefonte

  • Baileyville Community Hall, 210 Deibler Road in Pennsylvania Furnace

  • Bald Eagle Diner, 11053 N. Eagle Valley Road in Howard

  • Belle Springs Dairy LLC, 241 Resides Lane in Bellefonte

  • Bellefonte Senior Center, 110 N. Spring St. in Bellefonte

  • Brothers Pizza & Subs, 249 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte

  • Burger King, 901 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte

  • Chicken on a Stick, 303 Nilson Road in Bellefonte

  • Cinnamon Bun, 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte

  • Elk Creek Cafe & Aleworks, 100 W. Main St. in Millheim

  • Fuji Jade Garden and My Thai, 287 Northland Center in State College

  • Giant Food Store, 2699 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

  • Gundo’s State College Meal Prep Storage, 921 Southgate Drive

  • H.R. Stackhouse Training Center, 1150 Spring Creek Road in Bellefonte

  • Happy Valley Chef, 3500 E. College Ave.

  • Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life at the Pennsylvania State University, 180 S. Garner St. in State College

  • Hisso Sushi at Giant No. 574, 2699 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

  • Hometown Market, 1323 Walton St. in Philipsburg

  • Idou Coffee Co., 128 Locust Lane in State College

  • Ingram’s Market No. 4, 150 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte

  • Irving’s Bagels, 110 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Long Lane Farm Stand, 2353 Upper Brush Valley Road in Centre Hall

  • M&S Concessions, 143 Ayva Lane in Spring Mills

  • McLanahan’s Downtown Market, 116 S. Allen St. in State College

  • Mountaintop Pit Stop, 529 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe

  • Nature Inn at Bald Eagle, 201 Warbler Way in Howard

  • Nittany Meats, 116 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte

  • Panini’s, 139 Franklin St. in Bellefonte

  • Park Forest Elementary School, 2181 School Drive in State College

  • Park Forest Middle School, 2180 School Drive in State College

  • Penn Kebab, 418 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Penn’s Cave, 222 Penn’s Cave Road in Centre Hall

  • Penn’s Valley Community Church, 106 School St. in Spring Mills

  • Philipsburg Elks Lodge and Country Club, 1 Country Club Lane in Philipsburg

  • Philly Pretzel Factory, 373 Benner Pike in State College

  • Pisano Winery, 103 Penn St. in Millheim

  • Pita Cabana Grill, 334 E. Calder Way in State College

  • Poe Valley State Park (Billie’s Concessions), 136 Poe Valley Circle in Coburn

  • Port Matilda Elementary School, 209 Locust St. in Port Matilda

  • Rishel’s Catering, 106 School St. in Spring Mills

  • Shanny Farms (Boalsburg Farmer’s Market), 51 Boal Ave. in Boalsburg

  • Sheetz No. 562, 106 Savannah Lane in Centre Hall

  • Smokin’ Hot Butts BBQ, 209 7th St. in Snow Shoe

  • Snyder’s Concessions Gyro No. 1, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Snyder’s Concessions Sausage No. 7, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Snyder’s Concessions (Kendra Snyder Thal), 303 Nilson Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions FF No. 3, 195 Snyder Brooke Lane in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Gyro No. 6, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Snyder’s Concessions Pizza No. 3, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Snyder’s Concessions Pizza No. 4, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Snyder’s Concessions Sausage No. 11, 325 Windy Lane in Howard

  • Starbucks Coffee, 180 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

  • State College Halal Gyro, 137 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

  • State College High School South, 650 Waverly Parkway in State College

  • Stem to Table Farm Mobile, 129 Locust Lane in State College

  • Super Duper Cafe, 110 E. Main St. in Millheim

  • Sweet Temptations by Terri, 106 School St. in Spring Mills

  • Sweets of Gold, 200-1 Mill St. in Milesburg

  • Taco Bell No. 034756, 1129 Philipsburg Bigler Highway in Philipsburg

  • Taproot Kitchen Mobile, 1760 W. College Ave. in State College

  • The Waffle Shop, 364 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Time Saver, 224 Boal Ave. in Boalsburg

  • Trinity United Methodist Church, 128 W. Howard St. in Bellefonte

  • Twin Kiss Restaurant, 1495 N. Eagle Valley Road in Howard

  • Valley Wok, 135 Railroad St. in Spring Mills

  • Ye Olde College Diner/Bakery, 171 Technology Park in Boalsburg

Note: Occasionally, a listed address — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — is not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments directly for specific service locations.