Knives stored between tables, grease buildup: Latest Centre County restaurant inspections

Matt DiSanto
·5 min read
3

At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance following food safety inspections conducted throughout November.

The month’s lone failed inspection centers on a Chinese food buffet with several observed health code infractions, including dirty equipment and improper cleaning techniques.

Information regarding 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 50 other establishments passed their inspections with few or no violations. They also appear alphabetically below.

Business owners who wish to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com.

About food safety inspections

Following commonwealth 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.

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

Most observed violations are minor in scope 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, such as broken plumbing or pest infestations.

Most inspections in Centre County are conducted at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities directly conduct their 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

China Wok, 1027 N. Front St. in Philipsburg — A Nov. 6 routine inspection found four violations at this establishment. According to the report, sanitarian David Zimmerman observed employees storing in-use knives between table edges, which are not easily cleanable or sanitized. Additionally, the restaurant’s prep tables and refrigeration units were observed with “an excess buildup of grease and food residue.”

Zimmerman’s report says he observed China Wok’s mechanical dishwasher using a chlorine concentration of zero parts per million, falling below the 50-to-100 ppm range required by code.

Additionally, Zimmerman’s report claims “the person in charge did not demonstrate adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection.”

China Wok returned to compliance after Zimmerman conducted a follow-up inspection Nov. 13. The report did not include any code 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 food is served or sold 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 November

  • Ahhmazing Graze, 920 Nittany Ridge Road in Howard

  • Aldi, 1752 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Allen Street Pizza, 128 S. Allen St. in State College

  • American Diner, 1841 Philipsburg-Bigler Highway in Philipsburg

  • Auntie Anne’s Pretzels (BJC), 127 Bryce Jordan Center in University Park

  • Bald Eagle Area Junior-Senior High School, 751 S. Eagle Valley Road in Wingate

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

  • Beijing & Osaka, 452 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Belle City Bites MFF4 (ZTH-1755), 167 S. Potter St. in Bellefonte

  • Bock’s Tearoom, 145 N. Front St. in Philipsburg

  • Central Counties Youth Center, 148 Paradise Road in Bellefonte

  • Centre Learning Charter School, 2643 W. College Ave. in State College

  • Chew Chew Bun, 115 W. Beaver Ave. in State College

  • CJ East Asian Market, 215A Blue Course Drive in State College

  • College Buffet, 1631 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Corl Street Elementary, 235 Corl St. in State College

  • Crazy Boil LLC, 1617 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Dairy Barn, 5561 Jacksonville Road in Howard

  • Dollar General No. 24238, 586 E. College Ave. in Bellefonte

  • Dollar General No. 23088, 364 W. Aaron Square in Aaronsburg

  • Easterly Parkway Elementary School, 234 Easterly Parkway in State College

  • El Jefe’s Taqueria, 352 E. Calder Way in State College

  • Ferguson Township Elementary School, 215 W. Pine Grove Road in State College

  • Hissho Sushi @ Giant No. 574, 2699 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

  • Hiway Pizza, 1688 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Hogs Galore, 330 Enterprise Drive, Lot 7 in Philipsburg

  • Ingram’s Market No. 6, 830 N. Eagle Valley Road, P.O. Box 380 in Milesburg

  • JL Farm and Cidery LLC, 3392 Shingletown Road in State College

  • Kamari Thai & Sushi House, 901 Pike St. in Lemont

  • Miles Township Fire Co., 102 Broad St. in Rebersburg

  • Mount Nittany United Methodist Church, 1500 E. Branch Road in State College

  • Nittany Christian School, 1221 W. Whitehall Road in State College

  • Penns Valley Livestock Auction, 2925 Penns Valley Pike in Centre Hall

  • Pizza Hut, 952 N. Front St. in Philipsburg

  • Robin Hood Brewing Co., 1796 Zion Road in Bellefonte

  • State College International Market, 328 S. Allen St. in State College

  • State College Meals on Wheels, 205 S. Garnet St. in State College

  • Suzie Wong’s Egg Rolls & More, 215 W. Aaron Drive in State College

  • Teadori, 454 E. College Ave. in State College

  • The Hidden Hostess Mobile Catering, 2280 Commercial Blvd. in State College

  • The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, 215 Innovation Blvd. in State College

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

  • Uni-Mart No. 94101, 100 Mill St. in Milesburg

  • Wendy’s, 521 University Drive in State College

  • Wingate Elementary School, Box 4, Route 220 in Wingate

  • Young Scholars of Central PA, 1530 Westerly Parkway in State College

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.