Greene County food inspections find employee handling fried chicken with bare hands

A Springfield restaurant had buckets of chicken, rice and noodles at room temperature, and an employee handling fried chicken with their bare hands, according to a March 6 routine inspection.

Canton Inn, 205 W. Sunshine St., was cited for four priority violations at its most recent inspection, which were corrected on site with education and by discarding food that had been out for more than four hours at room temperature and had been touched with bare hands.

Also during inspections this week, a restaurant was found to be advertising chicken fried steak, but serving pork tenderloin. The report said if the situation was not resolved by the next inspection, Lorena's Cafe, 513 N. West Bypass, would be cited for a violation.

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.

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 more of the food inspections from this past week:

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Bawi, 4121 S. National Ave., Springfield. March 2 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed potentially hazardous foods being held at 56 degrees Fahrenheit or above on sides table. Items were discarded. No non-priority violations.

Baymont Inn & Suites, 3343 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed at time of inspection.

BBC (Baptist Bible College) Cafeteria, 628 E. Kearney St., Springfield. March 9 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed dead pest in storage room between restrooms in dining area; observed chute in smaller ice machine in kitchen was dirty.

BBC Coffee Shop, 628 E. Kearney St., Springfield. March 9 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Big Momma's Coffee & Espresso Bar, 217 E. Commercial St., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed breakfast burritos found with no date labeling, which were voluntarily discarded; observed quiche in pastry cooler at 47 to 49 degrees, which was voluntarily discarded. Four non-priority violations: Observed floor in barista area damaged or tiles missing, which was repeat violation; observed mop stored in mop bucket, which was repeat violation; observed daylight between and along bottom of front exterior doors, which was repeat violation; observed cutting board on prep table needs to be resurfaced or replaced, which was repeat violation.

Buckingham Smokehouse Bar-B-Q, 2002 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. Match 8 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed handles of ice scoops in ice machines were touching the ice, contaminated ice was discarded and education provided; observed floor in storage area was dirty.

Canton Inn, 205 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: active. Four priority violations: 1. Observed employee handle ready-to-eat fried chicken with bare hands. Employee voluntarily discarded two small plastic containers of fried chicken and education was provided on glove usage. 2. Observed employee put on a pair of gloves without washing hands. Education provided. 3. Observed multiple buckets of chicken, rice and noodles sitting at room temperature. Voluntarily discarded two buckets of noodles that were prepared more than four hours ago; all other potentially hazardous foods were prepped within time frame to reach 41 degrees or under in the four hours required after cooking. Education provided. 4. Observed multiple food items, including chicken, rice, noodles and cream cheese, were not date marked. Employees correctly date marked all prepped foods and education provided. One non-priority violation: Observed strainer of silverware in handwashing sink. Education provided.

Casa Bella, 4610 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. March 6 re-inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of re-inspection.

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Chik-Fil-A at Battlefield Mall, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of inspection.

Chik-Fil-A Branson Food Truck, Republic. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

Chili's Grill & Bar, 3020 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 re-inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of re-inspection.

Common Grounds Coffee & Cafe, LLC, 100 E. Pine St., Strafford. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed salsa spread stored in the cooler that was date marked past the seven days allowed, which was discarded and education was given; observed unlabeled spray bottles in a prep area, which were corrected by staff labeling the spray bottles. No non-priority violations.

Conoco Gas Station, 1687 S. State Highway North, Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed chicken wings and corn dogs held at temperatures below 135 on the left side of the hot holding unit. One non-priority violation: Observed no test strip for chlorine sanitizer.

Cox Health South, 3801 S. National Ave., Springfield. March 9 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed shredded pork prepared the day before reading as 47 degrees, when it's required to be cooled down to 41 degrees within six hours. Pork was discarded and education provided. No non-priority violations.

Denny's, 4760 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: Observed potentially hazardous foods not being kept at or below 41 degrees in two different locations. Items were voluntarily discarded. Five non-priority violations: Observed multiple lights with broken or warped shields in food preparation and storage areas; observed walls and floors were dirty; observed walk-in cooler door not in good repair; observed sink in employee restroom not in good repair; observed fans and vents not clean in food preparation area.

Doggy Style, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed preparation cooler not holding potentially hazardous foods at or below 41 degrees. Items were voluntarily discarded. No non-priority violations.

Don Pedro Grill, 1224 E. US Highway 60 East, Republic. March 6 re-inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. They are no longer trying to cold hold food on ice by grill. One priority violation: Observed beans and ground beef held at temperatures below 135 due to improper water levels in steam table. No non-priority violations.

Don Tono Mexican Food, LLC, 1314 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. Permit expires March 13, so need to pay permit fee soon. We discussed allowing hot items to cool to 135 or so before putting into refrigerator. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Einstein Bros Bagels No. 3621, 1933 S. National Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed two-door under counter reach-in cooler has ambient air temperature of 47 degrees. Half and half tested at 44 degrees; 2% milk tested at 46 degrees. Gallon of 2% milk and pint of half and half voluntarily discarded. Refrigerator adjusted and corrected holding temperature.

Greenstay Hotel & Suites, 222 N. Ingram Mill Ave., Springfield. March 3 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations found at time of inspection.

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Houlihan's South, 2110 E. Republic Road, Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Three priority violations: Observed walk-in cooler not holding potentially hazardous foods at or below 41 degrees, items voluntarily discarded; observed coolers on cook line not holding potentially hazardous foods at or below 41 degrees, items voluntarily discarded; observed coolers on server line not holding potentially hazardous foods at or below 41 degrees. Three non-priority violations: Observed handwashing sink on cook line being used for purposes other than handwashing; observed multiple employee drinks lacked lids and were stored in and above food preparation areas; observed handwashing sink blocked.

It's Greek To Me, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Three priority violations: Observed employees not washing hands before putting on gloves and employees putting on another pair of gloves over gloves while switching tasks; observed procedures for time control not being used for meat that is stored between initial pre-cooking steps and final cooking steps; observed potentially hazardous foods not being kept at or below 41 degrees. One non-priority violation: Observed chemicals being stored in hand sink.

Joe's Route 66 Diner, 201 E. Chestnut St., Strafford. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed to-go trays and service plates not inverted.

Jose Locos, 935 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed raw chicken being stored on top of raw beef. Chicken was relocated and meats were moved. Two non-priority violations: Observed raw meats thawing on counter, which were moved to walk-in cooler to thaw; observed dumpster lids open on outside bin, which was repeat violation. Education given.

La Habana Vieja, 220 E. Commercial St., Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed multiple spatulas had chips, cracks or were melted. Education given. One non-priority violation: Observed daylight along the bottom of back exterior door.

LOL Restaurant, 340 W. Enterprise Court, Fair Grove. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited during inspection.

Lorena's Cafe, 513 N. West Bypass, Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. The menu shows chicken fried steak, but serving pork tenderloins instead. If this is not taken care of by next inspection it will be cited. Two priority violations: Observed ham and sausage in a bus tub sitting on prep table, which were put on ice at inspector's request; observed very badly dented can of spaghetti sauce in can rack, which was discarded by staff. Five non-priority violations: Observed paper towel dispenser near dish line not operating properly; observed no soap at sink in employee restroom; observed both restrooms lacked an operational self-closing door; observed some ceiling tiles in kitchen and back areas had water damage; observed dirty floor in walk-in refrigerator and dry storage areas, and a few unclean drawers.

Luca Family Restaurant, 2025 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. Discussed proper date marking of potentially hazardous foods held on cold table and proper storage of wet mops. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed bulk ingredients not labeled, which was corrected at time of inspection.

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Marco's Pizza, 330 W. Plainview Road, Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active One priority violation: Observed sticker residue on multiple food contact surfaces. No non-priority violations.

McAllister's Deli, 1460 E. Primrose St., Springfield. March 2 routine inspection – Result: active No violations noted at time of inspection.

McBride Elementary School, 5005 S. Farm Road 135, Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed high-temperature dish machine not reaching surface temperature of 160 degrees. Manager agrees to sanitize all trays, utensils and pans in third vat of three-vat sink with quat sanitizer solution until dish machine is repaired. No non-priority violations.

McDonald's, 1114 W. Kearney St., Springfield. March 2 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Three non-priority violations: Observed residue from old date labeling stickers on food containers in dish storage area, education was given; observed mops stored in mop sink in storage closet near restrooms; observed employee drinks did not have lid and straw or lid and handle though drinks were stored properly.

MSU Blair-Shannon Dining Center No. 23683, 1001 E. Madison St., Springfield. March 8 re-inspection – Result: active. On site to inspect time as public health control logs for self-service items and the two-door Everest reach-in cooler that was previously unable to hold 41 degrees or below. Detailed time as control logs were provided and person in charge stated all foods that were under temp at time of meal end were properly discarded. Everest two-door reach-in ambient air tested at 40F. No reinspection required. No violations cited at time of inspection.

Outback Steakhouse, 3760 S. Glenstone Outer Road, Springfield. March 6 re-inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of re-inspection.

Raising Canes Chicken Fingers No. 513, 321 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: 1. Observed two-door prep table no. 1 was temping above 41 degrees. Lettuce tested at 45 degrees, slaw tested at 45 degrees and ambient air tested at 46 degrees. Food items in cold-holding wells at top of prep table were placed on time as control. Food items in bottom of prep table were prepped 30 minutes prior so items were moved to walk-in cooler. Re-inspection required. 2. Observed chemical spray bottle stored hanging directly over the top of single-service items. Chemical spray bottle moved to correct storage location. No non-priority violations.

Rama Thai Cafe, 1129 E. Walnut St., Springfield. March 2 re-inspection – Result: active. All priority violations had been corrected prior to re-inspection. Some new refrigeration units had also been purchased and installed. All coolers were below 41 degrees during the re-inspection.

RSKK LLC DBA Mays Mart, 116 S. Washington St., Walnut Grove. March 9 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed gravy and pizza at 121 and 126 degrees, respectively. Items were promptly reheated or discarded. Three non-priority violations: Observed facility could not find thermometer for checking food temperatures; observed lid to ice machine is in poor repair; observed areas of floor behind cashier are in poor repair. According to staff, repairs are planned in the near future.

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Starbucks Coffee No. 8670, 433 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. March 6 re-inspection – Result: active. On site to reinspect one-door back room cooler two that was failing to hold 41 degrees or below. Ambient air tested at 39 degrees and cold brew tested at 36 degrees. No re-inspection required. No violations cited at time of inspection.

Tacos El Gordo Numero 1 LLC, 1510 N. National Ave., Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed can opener blade dirty, education given and corrected on-site. Three non-priority violations: Observed lack of paper towels at employee hand washing sink; observed ice scoop in ice with handle touching ice; observed food containers and to-go containers were open-side facing up in storage room, education given.

The Habitat Coffee Company LLC, 5035 S. State Highway 125, Rogersville. March 6 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of inspection.

The Wok on Scenic, 4153 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Four priority violations: 1. Cabbage in top of prep cooler at 51 degrees. Cabbage was stacked too high. All other food in unit below 41 degrees as required. Cook voluntarily discarded cabbage. 2. Observed raw shell eggs stored over ready-to-eat chicken and raw chicken stored over ready-to-eat chicken in three door reach-in cooler. Corrected on-site, education provided on proper storage. 3. Observed hose on mop sink faucet didn't have backflow prevention device. 4. Observed employee touching face and mask while handling equipment. Corrected on-site, education provided. Employee washed hands immediately. No non-priority violations.

Tru Springfield Downtown, 517 E. Elm St., Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted at time of inspection.

Walnut Grove School Cafeteria, 300 E. College St., Walnut Grove. March 9 routine inspection – Result: active. We discussed proper hair restraints. No violations cited.

Wanda Gray School, 2101 W. Farm Road 182, Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed at time of inspection.

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Wendy's No. 34, 3339 W. Kearney St., Springfield. March 2 routine inspection – Result: active. Staff were manually adding sanitizer to 3 vat until it is operating properly. One priority violation: Observed sanitizer at three-vat sink had less than 100 ppm quaternary ammonia. Dispenser was not working properly so staff added sanitizer manually at my request until repaired. Two non-priority violations: Observed small refrigerator up front had heavy accumulation of ice in unit; observed some areas of floor and around ceiling vents weren't clean.

Willard South Elementary, 4151 W. Division St., Springfield. March 6 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. A reinspection will be made on or after March 8 to check dish machine. One priority violation: Observed the dish machine's final rinse had less than 10 ppm chlorine.

Willard South Elementary, 4151 W. Division St., Springfield. March 8 re-inspection – Result: active. Dish machine had been repaired and was dispensing chlorine into final rinse at 100 ppm concentration. No violations cited at time of inspection.

Wilson's Creek 5-6 School, 4035 W. Weaver Road, Battlefield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed at time of inspection.

Yan's Sushi and Grill, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. March 8 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed ice machine was dirty. Two non-priority violations: Observed shelves in refrigerator and walls behind food preparation table were dirty; observed packaged food items being stored on the floor, education was given and corrected on-site.

Zaxby's, 540 W. El Camino Alto Drive, Springfield. March 7 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Three priority violations: 1. Observed several pans stacked on pans with sticker residue on outside of pans, which contaminated the inside food contact surfaces. Pans were placed on the dirty shelf for washing, rinsing and sanitizing. 2. Observed front prep cooler holding small milks at 47 to 49 degrees. Milk voluntarily discarded. Repeat violation. Low boy cooler holding chicken at 43 to 44 degrees. Person in charge moved chicken to walk-in cooler immediately. 3. Observed chicken breasts and egg rolls under heat lamp at 116 to 124 degrees. All items voluntarily discarded and education provided. Two non-priority violations: 1. Observed build-up of grease on clean dish rack, and vent hood filters. Food debris on reach-in cooler. Build-up of debris on walk-in cooler door handles and outsides of coolers. Increase cleaning frequency. 2. Observed no paper towels at three kitchen hand sinks. A roll was located on a shelf in the middle of the kitchen and placed between hand sinks. Batteries need to be replaced in dispensers so staff can have towels available.

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: Greene Co. food inspections: Employee handling chicken with bare hands