Restaurant Inspections: Elsie's Receives Five Critical Violations

From March 2-8, the state health department inspected a few restaurants along the Route 1 corridor. For prior restaurant inspection reports, click here.

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation. Inspectors grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

Below, find the latest restaurant inspection from the Virginia Department of Health. These inspections reflect visits from inspectors during the last few weeks. Some of the violations were corrected immediately during the recent inspections.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Elsie’s Magic Skillet Restaurant
8166 Richmond Highway
Date of inspection: March 4
Critical (corrected during inspection): The person in charge failed to state the minimum cook temperatures and times for potentially hazardous foods.
Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee failed to wash his or her hands before engaging in food preparation.
Critical (corrected during inspection): The following visibly soiled or improperly cleaned equipment or utensils were observed being used during food preparation: mop sink being used to do food prep.
Critical (corrected during inspection): The concentration of the chlorine solution was measured at above 200 ppm in wet wiping bucket. This concentration exceeds the approved limits for use with food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils in a foodservice establishment.
Critical (corrected during inspection): Some food items were observed cold holding at improper temperatures using a calibrated food temperature measuring device.
Non-critical: The nonfood-contact surface of the following equipment is not corrosion resistant, nonabsorbent, and/or smooth: vents for hood is covered with paperboards that is not easily cleanable.
Non-critical: Some of ceiling tiles in food prep area is absorbent.
Non-critical: Observed that following are in need of repair: tiles are missing or chipped.
Non-critical: Observed that inadequate lighting was provided in the walk-in refrigerators, walk-in freezers, and/or dry storage areas: no light in dry storage area.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed that poisonous and toxic materials are not properly stored to prevent the contamination of food, equipment, utensils, linens or single service items.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Single-use gloves saved for reuse by food employees.
Non-critical: The person in charge (PIC) has a valid certificate of successful completion of a Certified Food Manager (CFM) exam but does not possess the CFM card issued by ORS Interactive, Inc.
Non-critical: A food employee was observed cleaning their hands in a mop sink.