Restaurants Cited: Yellowfin, Rams Head, Checkers, Greene Turtle

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Forty-four restaurants and food stores in Annapolis and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County were cited for what county health inspectors called "critical violations" in the August 2018 report that was just released. The county health department posted a list of 375 restaurant and food service inspections online and said 44 were found to have critical problems that were corrected.

Businesses, schools and care centers were inspected between August 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. Two restaurants were temporarily closed last month because of urgent problems.

Food Facility Closings:

• August 7, 2018 – Wendy’s at 1454 Whitehall Road, Annapolis, was closed due to operating without hot water. The facility was reopened on August 7, 2018.
• August 27, 2018 – Checkers at 1417 N. Crain Hwy., Glen Burnie, was closed due to operating without hot water. The facility was reopened on August 27, 2018.

The restaurants and businesses with critical violations were:

• Taco Bell, 1088 Route 3 North, Gambrills
• Crofton Cantina, 787 Rt. 3 North, Gambrills
• Christopher's, 5570 B Shady Side Rd., Churchton
• Fancy Chens Kitchen II, Inc., 7800 Parke West Drive, Suite 11, Glen Burnie
• Subway, 1125 Annapolis Road, Odenton
• Shoppers #54026 (2284), 670 Old Mill Road, Millersville
• Steak 'n Shake, 8100 Veterans Hwy., Millersville
• Taco Bell, 1088 Route 3 North, Gambrills
• Deven's Market, 803 N. Hammonds Ferry Rd., Linthicum
• High's Dairy Store #71, 116 W Central Avenue, Edgewater
• Wendy's #6518, 1454 Whitehall Rd., Annapolis
• Courtyard by Marriott, 1671 West Nursery Road, Linthicum
• McKinsey Road Shell, 601 Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park
• Yellowfin Steak & Fish House, 2840 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater
• Pachanga Grill Inc, 8395 Piney Orchard Parkway, Odenton
• Carmelo's, 419 S. Camp Meade Rd., Linthicum
• High's Convenience Store #48, 1616-1624 Annapolis Rd., Odenton
• Rams Head Roadhouse, 1773 Generals Hwy., Annapolis
• McDonald's Restaurant #7134, 2130 Generals Highway, Annapolis
• Odenton Exxon OTR, 1318 Annapolis Road, Odenton
• Charley's Philly Steaks, 1058 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• Firehouse Subs #973, 2317 C Forest Drive, Suite 16, Annapolis
• NG BWI ATL - #3131, 1212 Winterson Road, Linthicum
• Lydia Kim, Inc., 1 Nursery Road, Linthicum
• Royal Farms #193, 803 Pinnacle Dr., Linthicum
• Poke Bowlrrito, 2002 Annapolis Mall, FC8, Annapolis
• Pizza of Arnold, Inc. aka Pizza Boli's, 1450 Ritchie Hwy., Ste. 112, Arnold
• Hong Kong Buffet, 3283 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
• Greene Turtle Annapolis, LLC, 177 Jennifer Rd., Annapolis
• 7-Eleven #23700C, 497 Jumpers Hole Rd., Severna Park
• McDonald's #5182, 6906 Governor Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie
• Subway Restaurant, 574 Benfield Road, Severna Park
• Mother's Peninsula Grille, 969 Ritchie Hwy., Arnold
• Naval Bagels, 1450 Ritchie Hwy., Ste. 112, Arnold
• Subway, 2211 Defense Hwy., Crofton
• Kris-Leigh Assisted Living, 3913 Birdsville Road, Davidsonville
• Knights of Pythias, 10 Pythian Drive, Edgewater
• Checkers, 1417 North Crain Highway, Glen Burnie
• Bill Bateman's Bistro, 566 A Ritchie Highway, Severna Park
• Ruby Tuesday #4726, 940 International Drive, Linthicum
• Green Valley Market Place, 1238 Bay Dale Drive, Arnold
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, 1906 Towne Centre Blvd., Annapolis
• Sheraton BWI Hotel, 1100 Old Elkridge Landing Rd., Linthicum
• Subway, 895 Bay Ridge Road, Annapolis

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:

• Restaurants Cited: Adams Ribs North, O'Loughlins, The Hawk's Nest
• Restaurants Cited: Nando's, Adam's Ribs, Newk's Eatery, Chilis
• Restaurant Violations: PF Chang's, Greene Turtle, Vocelli Pizza
• Restaurant Violations: O'Brien's Oyster Bar, Happy Harbor, Weis

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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.

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