Restaurant Violations: PF Chang's, Greene Turtle, Vocelli Pizza

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Thirty restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called "critical violations" in the May 2018 report that was recently released. The county health department posted a list of 419 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 30 were found to have critical problems that were corrected, while seven facilities were closed for a day or more for operating without a license.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between May 1 and 31. Most of the problems noted in the reports were for employees who didn't wash their hands properly or food not stored at a proper temperature. No restaurants were closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closings:

• May 9, 2018: BPO, #2283, 8261 Brock Bridge Road, Laurel, MD 20724, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 11, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: Deno’s Pizza, 1686 Annapolis Road, Odenton, MD 21113, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 14, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: Tower Isle Café, 1584 Annapolis Road, Odenton, MD 21113, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 10, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: Menchie’s, 4135 Mountain Road, Pasadena, MD 21122, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 9, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: Yolavie Premium Frozen Yogurt, 1417 S. Main Chapel Way, Ste.108, Gambrills, MD 21054, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 9, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: Annapolis Wine and Design, 32 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 10, 2018.
• May 9, 2018: J&D Catering LLC, 4022 Brummel Road, Pasadena, MD 21122, was closed due to operating without a license. The facility was reopened on May 14, 2018.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Arby's, 2623 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• Archbishop Spalding High, 8080 New Cut Road, Severn
• Beachtree Inc., DBA Prince Kabob, 2510 Conway Road, Suite 101, Gambrills
• Brio Tuscan Grille, 305 Sail Place, Annapolis
• Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, 2285 B Forest Drive, Annapolis
• Chili's Grill & Bar, 1715 W. Nursery Rd., Linthicum
• Doubletree by Hilton Baltimore BWI, 890 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum
• Dunkin Donuts, BWI Airport, Concourse B, Baltimore
• Exxon on the Run, 317 Buschs Frontage Road, Annapolis
• Frisco Tap House II, LLC, 2406 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• Greene Turtle of Annapolis, 3213 A Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Hong Kong Buffet, 3283 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Hong Kong Gourmet, 1215 Annapolis Road Suite #109, Odenton
• Kris-Leigh Catered Living @ Cypress Creek Cove, 831 Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• Mayo Elementary School, 1152 Central Ave East, Mayo
• McDonald's 5207, 717 Nursery Road, Linthicum
• Nautilus Diner, 1709 Transportation Blvd, Crofton
• Nova Sushi Bar & Asian Fusion, 3257 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater
• P F Chang's China Bistro, 307 Sail Place, Annapolis
• Pomodoro Natural Pizzeria, 8749 Piney Orchard Pkwy., Odenton
• Rinconcito Mexicano, Inc., 1103 C Annapolis Rd., Odenton
• Romeo's Pizza & Subs, 8389 Piney Orchard Parkway, Odenton
• Royal Farms #148, 1114 MD Rt 3 North, Gambrills
• Smoke Rattle and Roll, 2002 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• Subway, 8765 Piney Orchard Pkwy., Odenton
• The Treat, 12 A Aquahart Rd., Glen Burnie
• Vocelli Pizza, 1129 Crain Hwy Suite 105, Crofton
• Wal-Mart #5382, 8107 Ritchie Hwy., Pasadena
• Wendy's #6518, 1454 Whitehall Rd., Annapolis
• Woo Chon Restaurant Inc, 11 Aquahart Road, Glen Burnie

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.

SEE ALSO:

• Restaurant Violations: O'Brien's Oyster Bar, Happy Harbor, Weis
• Restaurant Violations: Cooper's Hawk, La Bella Italia, CaliBurger
• Restaurant Scores: Yellowfin, Baja Fresh, Old South Country Club

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

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:

1. Food must be obtained from an approved source.
2. Food must be protected from adulteration, spoilage and contamination.
3. Food workers must be restricted during illness or infection.
4. Food workers must practice effective handwashing.
5. Food must be properly cooled.
6. a. Food must be held at proper cold holding temperature. 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.
7. a. Food must be cooked to proper temperature. b. Food must be reheated to proper temperature.
8. Potable hot and cold running water must be provided.
9. 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.

Image via Shutterstock