During the week of March 23, the Jefferson County Health Department inspected 40 food establishments. Scores ranged from 47 to 100. Some were routine inspections while others were reinspections where scores are not assigned. All inspections are unannounced visits.
Facilities that are considered low priority are not assigned a score. A low priority facility does not prepare food.
According to the Jefferson County Health Department, facilities start with a score of 100, and points are reduced based on observed violations:
■ Six points are deducted for priority violations that directly contribute to foodborne illness risk.
■ Three points are deducted for priority foundation violations that indirectly contribute to foodborne illness risk or enable priority violations.
■ One point for core violations related to general sanitation and good retail practices.
■ Two points for repeat violations of any type.
Dan Kane, environmental supervisor for the Health Department, said the agency does not have ranges for good or bad scores but instead looks at the overall score, adding that readers need to look at the types of violations.
He said a couple of priority violations are more concerning than several core violations.
In certain cases, the Health Department returns to a food establishment to reinspect, allowing time for the facility to correct issues. According to the Health Department, reinspection is not solely based on the score an establishment gets; it’s determined by the type of violation. Priority and priority foundation violations need to be corrected within a certain amount of time, and priority violations typically are corrected on the day of the inspection before the inspector leaves.
Kane said the department rarely closes a food establishment, and most temporary closures involve a power outage, fire or sewage backup.
To see the most updated inspection report or the last three inspection reports, visit jeffcohealth.org/environmental and click on “View Food Establishment Health Inspection Scores.”
The inspection scores for the week of March 23 are listed below. They are all routine inspections unless otherwise noted.
■ Antonia Elementary School, 3901 Old Hwy. M, Imperial, scored 100 on March 24.
■ At Sunrise, 1277 Main St., Imperial, scored 99 on March 26. Violation: rubber spatula handle was melted.
■ Ballroom051, 4551 Gravois Road, House Springs, was reinspected on March 25. No score given.
■ Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, 6116 Second St., Kimmswick, scored 81 on March 27. Violations: cleaning items and container in hand sink; dish machine sanitizer not strong enough; hot dogs and quiche without date mark; food in a refrigerator below appropriate temperature; debris accumulation on hood filters, cooler and container holding measuring cups; and wood piece attached to wall by stand mixers not properly sealed/damaged floor covering under sink.
■ Cedar Springs Elementary School, 6922 Rivermont Trail, House Springs, scored 93 on March 26. Violations: sanitizer solution not at correct level in dish sink; and debris buildup at bottom of utensil holder.
■ Chelsea’s Place Tavern, 6643 Hwy. 61-67, Imperial, was inspected on March 27. Facility is low priority, so no score given.
■ Clyde Hamrick Elementary, 4525 Four Ridge Road, Imperial, scored 100 on March 24.
■ Corpus Christi Center, 6020 Old Antonia Road, Imperial, scored 100 on March 28.
■ De Soto Junior High School, 731 Amvets Drive, De Soto, scored 93 on March 26. Violations: large container of mayo and bagged salad mix in coolers past use-by-dates; and wiping cloth bucket with sanitizer below acceptable level.
■ Exploration Station/Old Gravois Lodge, 4235 Gravois Road, House Springs, was reinspected on March 25. No score given.
■ Fu Yu Chinese Kitchen, 4521 Gravois Village, High Ridge, scored 79 on March 27. Violations: raw meat stored above vegetables in cooler; can opener soiled around blade; various items in walk-in cooler not labeled with dates; leaking under cooking equipment; dirty hood filters and grease buildup on floor behind cooking equipment.
■ Hardee’s, 1305 Veterans Blvd., Festus, scored 73 on March 26. Violations: no paper towels at hand sink; dishes stored on clean shelving unit with food debris/microwave dirty; back door was propped open/gap under back door; prep table not at proper temperature; debris buildup on shelving racks, outside of fryer and tray under conveyor oven; mop sink drain clogged; no trash can near hand sink; grout missing near dish sink; water dripping out of AC vent in prep area; food debris on floor of walk-in cooler; and dirty hood filters.
■ Imo’s, 2000 El Lago Unit 2, Arnold, was reinspected on March 28. No score given.
■ Jack in the Box, 5300 Caroline Drive, High Ridge, scored 82 on March 26. Violations: all microwaves need to be cleaned; food debris in hot holding section of frying station; paper towels were being used to catch grease on pans for grill utensils; fan guard, walk-in freezer, reach-in coolers and cooking equipment need cleaning; trash needs to be taken out to dumpster more frequently; food and trash debris throughout facility/dust soilage on ceiling; and box cutters being stored with food and food adjacent surfaces.
■ Jack in the Box, 899 Veterans Blvd., Festus, was reinspected on March 25. No score given.
■ Karsch’s Village Market (bakery, grocery, meat and produce sections), 1730 Old Hwy. M, Barnhart, were inspected on March 24. Facility is low priority so no score was provided.
■ Kasabi Hibachi, Sushi and Ramen, 343 N. Creek Drive, Festus, scored 82 on March 25. Violations: sanitizer solution in dishwasher incorrect strength; gap under front door; spoon stored in cup filled with water/scoop handles in salt inside bins/in-use utensils being stored in room temperature water on grill prep top; single-service cups stored in bread crumbs and flour inside bins; leak in dish sink; and missing coving.
■ Las Brisas Mexican Restaurant, 8620 Daniel Dunklin Drive, Pevely, scored 47 on March 26. Violations: dirty soda nozzles; cheese sauce at incorrect temperature; container of gas stored on same shelf as bottles of cocktail mixers; steaks thawing at room temperature; large opening under garage door in the large storage room; pitcher of liquid uncovered in cooler/crockpot warmer with cheese sauce uncovered/large pot of beans on floor next to hand sink; bowls without handles being used to scoop spices; drink glasses stacked wet; employees observed handling raw meat, cutting vegetables and cooking food without washing hands or changing gloves in between tasks; dry storage shelves covered with cardboard; door of prep refrigerator does not close properly; large gap between back of dish sink and wall/no caulk between drain boards of dish machine and wall; dirty dishwater; wiping cloth sanitizer solution incorrect; plumbing missing from a hand sink; food debris in deep freezer and table in storage area; employee restroom walls damaged; water-stained ceiling tiles in waitress station; broken floor drain cover; dirty wet tarp on floor in storage room; cove missing; and cell phone on food prep refrigerator cutting board.
■ Mercy Hospital Jefferson Cafeteria, 1400 Hwy. 61 South, Crystal City, scored 99 on March 24. Violation: grease on wall behind fryers.
■ Northwest Valley Middle School, 4300 Old Gravois Road, House Springs, scored 94 on March 28. Violations: due to construction, hand sink did not have hot and cold water; and can opener blade soiled.
■ Nunya’s Cafe, 202 Main St., Festus, scored 91 on March 25. Violations: foods in prep top cooler at incorrect temperature, possibly due to leak; no labels on bins of powdered sugar, brown sugar and baking soda; bags of matcha tea bags stored on floor/boxes of soil and oat milk stored on floor; scoop handle stored with handle down in brown sugar.
■ Our Lady Queen of Peace Cafeteria, 4696 Notre Dame Lane, House Springs, scored 88 on March 28. Violations: no food handler certificates for workers at fish fry; temporary hand-washing station needs spigot that stays on; and sanitizer solution incorrect.
■ Schnuck’s Deli, 3900 Vogel Road, Arnold, scored 88 on March 27. Violations: pan of green beans in cooler with no date mark; flour and water used for breading not sifted or changed every four hours; soiled microwave; broken atmospheric vacuum breaker on dish sink; and dusty ceiling vents.
■ Starbucks at Target, 3899 Vogel Road, was reinspected on March 26. No score given.
■ Stop n Go Taqueria, 1814 Scenic Heights, Festus, scored 99 on March 26. Violation: no thermometer in a cooler.
■ Subway, 26 Gannon Square, Pevely, was reinspected on March 26. No score given.
■ Taco Bell, 1932 Richardson Road, Arnold, scored 86 on March 27. Violations: ice accumulation in walk-in freezer; service sink faucet loose and leaking water; and dust on water heater.
■ Taco Bell, 4698 Hwy. W, House Springs, was reinspected on March 25. No score given.
■ Taco Bell, 806 Lee Ave., Festus, scored 99 on March 26. Violation: floor had debris.
■ Taytro’s Bar and Bistro, 331 N. Creek Drive, Festus, scored 96 on March 27. Violations: sanitizer bucket stored in hand sink; and scoop handles down in sugar and ice.
■ The Wandering Bean Mobile, 4810 Hwy. B, Hillsboro, was reinspected on March 26. No score given.
■ Walmart Supercenter Deli, 2201 Michigan Ave., Arnold, scored 100 on March 25.
■ Walmart Supercenter (bakery and grocery), 2700 Ridge Point Drive, High Ridge, was inspected on March 28. No score was given due to low priority.
■ Walmart Supercenter Meat, 2700 Ridge Point Drive, High Ridge, scored 98 on March 28. Violations: dirty fan guards; and employee articles of clothing observed in walk-in-cooler.
■ Wayside, 5150 Hwy. 109, Eureka, was reinspected on March 25. No score given.
