'Critical' Food Violations Found at Anne Arundel Restaurants: September 2016

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A dozen restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called “critical violations” in the September 2016 report just released, and one restaurant closed for a day for repairs.

The county health department has posted a list of 383 restaurant and food service inspections online, and says 12 were found to have critical problems. Businesses were inspected between Sept. 1 and 30; findings were released Oct. 28.

Food Facility Closing: On Sept. 20, the Sheraton BWI, 1100 Old Elkridge Landing Road in Linthicum Heights, was closed due to grease trap overflowing. Food service operations resumed the next day, the county says.

Most of the problems were for employees who didn’t wash their hands properly or food not stored at a proper temperature.

Inspectors evaluate nine critical food safety items, which are those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness, the department says. If a critical food safety violation is discovered, it must be either corrected immediately or the facility risks being closed.

Find the full inspection list here and explanations for the citations on the health department website.

Those restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Annapolis Waterfront Hotel in Annapolis
• The Burger Joint at BWI Airport in Baltimore
• Burnie's Grill in Linthicum
• China Spring in Glen Burnie
• China Wok Restaurant in Annapolis
• Nando's of Waugh Chapel in Gambrills
• Sammy's Italian Pizza Kitchen in Annapolis
• Shoppers Food Warehouse in Crofton
• St. John's College at Randall Dining Hall in Annapolis
• Toro Bravo, Inc. in Linthicum
• Union Jack's in Annapolis
• Yolavie at Annapolis Mall in Annapolis

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health inspects restaurants and other food service facilities routinely to monitor the sanitary and physical conditions at each establishment.

Indicates type of inspection:
ICI - Initial Comprehensive Inspection: Complete environmental inspection which includes both critical and sanitation items and food flow process (HACCP)
IM(1 or 2) - Monitoring Inspection: Specialized inspections performed to monitor critical steps of food handling for potentially hazardous foods.
R(or R2) - Reinspection
Column 5: Critical food safety items found NOT in compliance. Any critical items found to be in violation must be corrected during the inspection. Numbers appearing in this column indicate the food safety item found in violation.

These numbers correspond to the following critical items:

• Food must be obtained from an approved source.
• Food must be protected from adulteration, spoilage and contamination.
• Food workers must be restricted during illness or infection.
• Food workers must practice effective handwashing.
• Food must be properly cooled.
• All existing refrigeration equipment must maintain the internal temperature of potentially hazardous food at 41 degrees F or less.
• b. Food must be held at proper hot holding temperature.
• a. Food must be cooked to proper temperature.
• b. Food must be reheated to proper temperature.
• Potable hot and cold running water must be provided.
• Sewage must be properly discharged.

Ways to spot a possibly unclean restaurant kitchen are:

• Outdoor space: If the exterior is unkempt and littered, don't trust the inside.
• How clean is the restroom? Smells and overflowing trash cans are a red flag.
• Well-groomed employees: Are they washed, do they wear gloves when handling food, and do they wash their hands? If not, be careful.
• Healthy servers: If your waiter is sneezing or coughing, ask for another or consider leaving
• Table cleaning: Is a clean rag and disinfectant used to clean the table's surface? If not, the staff could just be spreading germs around.

• View past Food Service Inspection Reports by date

SEE ALSO:

• 'Critical' Food Violations Found at Anne Arundel Restaurants: August 2016
• 'Critical' Food Violations Found at Anne Arundel Restaurants: July 2016
• 'Critical' Food Violations Found at Anne Arundel Restaurants