Restaurant Inspections: Super Pollo and Panda Express

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 6, the state health department inspected a few restaurants in Greater Alexandria. 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.

Super Pollo “Charcoal Chicken”
6464-D Lincolnia Rd.
Date of inspection: Dec. 4
Critical (corrected during inspection): One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete. A complete employee health policy is required to be in place at the food establishment.
Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee was observed eating and drinking in an area other than designated break area while preparing/handling food.
Critical (corrected during inspection): The concentration of the chlorine solution was measured over 200 ppm in sanitizing cloth 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): Raw animal food holding in a manner that may cause cross contamination of ready-to-eat food.
Critical (corrected during inspection): Some refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is prepared on site is not used or discarded within 24 hours of preparation and was not observed to be date marked.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed the handsink by the 3-vat sink and by prep cooler being used as dump station.
Non-critical: Food stored in a location where it is subject to splash, dust or other contamination.
Non-critical: Wet wiping cloths used for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces were observed stored on the counter.
Non-critical: Clean plastic knives were observed stored with the food-contact surface facing upward.
Non-critical: Light bulbs in the customer serving area are not covered by a protective shielding.

Panda Express
6307-G Richmond Highway
Date of inspection: Dec. 3
Critical (corrected during inspection): One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete. A complete employee health policy is required to be in place at the food establishment.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): The establishment has not posted the permit to operate in a conspicuous location.
Non-critical: There is no test kit located in the facility for monitoring the concentration of the chemical sanitizing solutions.
Non-critical: Observed that mops are improperly stored between use.
Non-critical: Some food items that are not easily identified by appearance were observed without a label.