Food inspections: Greene Co. restaurant cited for not sanitizing utensils, equipment

An area restaurant was cited for not sanitizing its equipment and utensils, according to a June 30 Springfield-Greene County Health Department food inspection report.

During a June 30 inspection, China King, 557 E. Elm St. in Republic, had no sanitizing chemicals present or in use, a priority violation. The problem was resolved by the inspector educating the staff and the restaurant "getting bleach on the premises for sanitizing before completion of inspection," according to the report.

Food inspections take place one to three times a year, depending on the type of food served, the population served, difficulty of food preparation and past history. Restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often "than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as popcorn and soda," according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

Each report identifies what was happening at the establishment at that time. Consumers who want to know whether a violation is a one-time thing or a pattern are encouraged to refer to previous reports.

More: Frequent reader of Greene County food inspections? Here's what inspectors want you to know

Issues found during inspection fall into either priority or non-priority violations. Priority violations impact the safety of the food, such as cross contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food, improper food temperature and poor personal hygiene and employee health. Multiple priority violations can lead to an establishment being shut down. Non-priority violations alone do not directly affect food safety, such as dirty floors, sticky tabletops or outside trash cans not being covered.

Here are food inspections from the last week:

Last week: Of Greene Co. establishments inspected this week, almost half had no food code violations

Andy's Frozen Custard, Inc., 2119 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed plastic food containers with chips and cracks, education was given and corrected during inspection. No non-priority violations.

Ash Grove Pool Concession, 310 E. Parkway St., Ash Grove. June 29 re-inspection – Result: active. Water heater operational at re-inspection, door sweep needs to be installed. No violations cited.

China King, 557 E. Elm St., Republic. June 30 routine inspection – Result: Permitted with re-inspection. Five priority violations: Observed employee cutting green onions for toppings with bare hands, which was corrected by discarding onions and giving education; observed ready-to-eat potentially hazardous foods like cooked chicken prepared on-site and not marked with discard date; observed dumping mop water outside; observed facility not sanitizing utensils and equipment after cleaning and no sanitizer chemicals on the premises, corrected at time of inspection with education and obtaining bleach for sanitizing; observed chicken, beef and pork stored in the same bowl, which was corrected with education and food was discarded. No non-priority violations.

Country Roads Family Fun Farm, Springfield. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Creamy Sweet's, 1037 E. Township St., Republic. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed no sanitizer to sanitize dishes.

More: Pedestrian standing near car hit, seriously injured in chain-reaction wreck near Golden

Down South Fried Fish Co., Republic. June 30 re-inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed the ambient temperature of fridge at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. All potentially hazardous foods in fridge were placed on time control and set to be discarded after 4 hours. No non-priority violations.

El Venero, 500 S. Miller Road, Willard. June 28 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed number of food items that lacked use-by dates including refried beans, cooked pork, chili rellenos, imitation crab, etc., which was corrected on-site. Five non-priority violations: Observed dish sprayer and hot water at three-vat sink don't turn off; observed a hole inside one of the three-vat sink compartments that leaks; observed a pair of shoes stored on a can rack with canned goods, which was promptly removed by staff; observed that shelves by chip storage, vents in restrooms and some shelves below the pass-through window were dirty; observed that the bottom exterior portion of the walk-in refrigerator is corroded and in poor repair.

Fazoli's, 2055 E. Independence St., Springfield. July 3 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed open drink can in food preparation area. No non-priority violations.

Garbo's Pizzeria - Chesterfield Village, 2101 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield. June 29 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: Observed employees not washing hands after drinking from cup, which was corrected on-site; observed two-door cooler holding potentially hazardous foods at 42 degrees to 44 degrees Fahrenheit, which was resolved by manager removing dust cover to clean and monitor. One non-priority violation: Observed hole in cabinet beneath hand sink upstairs, which manager stated a crew has evaluated the area since the floor was damaged from a roof leak. A new roof has been put on however, repairs in-house have not started. This is a repeat violation and must be repaired by Jan. 2, 2024.

Garbo's Pizzeria - Chesterfield Village, 2101 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Springfield. July 5 re-inspection – Result: active. Priority items corrected: Reach-in cooler now holding food below 41 degrees as required; employees are washing hands when required. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed hole in cabinet beneath hand sink upstairs, which manager stated a crew has evaluated the area since the floor was damaged from a roof leak. A new roof has been put on however, repairs in-house have not started. This is a repeat violation and must be repaired by Jan. 2, 2024.

Love's Travel Stop Hardee's, 400 N. State Highway 125, Strafford. June 29 foodborne illness inspection – Result: active. No violations cited relating to the food complaint.

Pampa Empanadas, 3302 S. National Ave., Springfield. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

More: Starting Sunday: Series on the 2006 Missouri State men's basketball NCAA Tournament snub

Polymath Educational Cafe, 4653 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 5 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed sanitizer solution in three-vat sink and wiping cloth bucket over 200 parts per million chlorine. Education provided, sink refilled and solution remade to 50 to 100 ppm chlorine.

Smokin Wheels BBQ, 604 N. Main St., Republic. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

St. Michael's, 301 S. South Ave., Springfield. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Strafford Sports Center, LLC, 9007 E. Evergreen St., Strafford. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited during inspection.

Sub 24, LLC, 1393 S. Appomattox Ave., Republic. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Taco Bell No. 036223, 2047 E. Independence St., Springfield. June 30 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Tacos El Gordo Numero 1 LLC, 1510 N. National Ave., Springfield. July 5 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violation. Two non-priority violations: Observed wiping cloths found stored outside of sanitizer buckets, education given; observed employee items and employee food stored in multiple places, education given.

More: Missouri Flower Exchange connects 17 women-led flower farmers to consumers statewide

The Preston, 3810 S. Weller Ave., Springfield. July 3 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Tortilleria Perches, LLC, 1601 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed two-door prep table ambient air tested at 55 degrees; sour cream tested at 55 degrees; three separate containers of shredded beef testing at 50 degrees, 55 degrees and 52 degrees; ground beef tested at 56 degrees; lettuce tested at 54 degrees; tomatoes tested at 55 degrees. All items were voluntarily discarded, and person-in-charge stated he will have someone come look at the cooler. Re-inspection required. No non-priority violations.

Travel Centers of the Ozarks, Inc., 225 E. Evergreen St., Strafford. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

White Oak MO217, 1550 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. June 29 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Inspectors find Greene Co. restaurant not sanitizing utensils