Health Department Shuts Down Pittsburgh Coffee Shop

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Allegheny County Health Department has ordered the closure of a new coffee shop in Pittsburgh just a few weeks after its opening.

The health department on Friday shut down Azal, on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, for numerous food code violations.

The shop was open and operating without a valid permit and failed to request a pre-operational inspection. Inspectors also found unlabeled packaged food, inadequate temperature control procedures, no probe thermometer, inadequate cross-contamination prevention, unlabeled and improperly stored toxic items, the lack of a certified food protection manager, improper storage of single-use items, and plumbing fixtures installed without a plumbing program inspection.

A "closed" placard is posted at an establishment when an imminent health hazard is identified at a restaurant or kitchen or if it has been operating without proper permits.

It is unlawful to operate a food facility with a "closed" placard.

A message posted on Azal's door on Sunday said the coffee shop was temporarily closed due to plumbing problems. No closed placard had been posted as is required by law.