Worker handled food with bare hands

An employee at a Springfield restaurant was cutting and portioning out chicken into containers with their bare hands, according to a July 18 Springfield-Greene County Health Department food inspection report.

Cashew Chef, 1731 S. Enterprise Ave., had two priority violations during its July 18 inspection: Multiple containers of chicken being left out at room temperature without a date or time marking and an employee handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands. Both violations were corrected by discarding the chicken, and the restaurant did not require a re-inspection.

Food inspections take place one to three times a year, depending on the type of food served, the population served, difficulty of food preparation and past history. Restaurants preparing food from raw ingredients are inspected more often “than convenience stores that serve only non-potentially hazardous foods, such as popcorn and soda,” according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

Each report identifies what was happening at the establishment at that time. Consumers who want to know whether a violation is a one-time thing or a pattern are encouraged to refer to previous reports.

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Issues found during inspection fall into either priority or non-priority violations. Priority violations impact the safety of the food, such as cross contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food, improper food temperature and poor personal hygiene and employee health. Multiple priority violations can lead to an establishment being shut down. Non-priority violations alone do not directly affect food safety, such as dirty floors, sticky tabletops or outside trash cans not being covered.

Here are food inspections from the past week:

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Abelardo’s Mexican Fresh, 948 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed chemicals being stored inside hand sink, education provided and corrected on site; observed bulk container of rice was stored in a location without a lid, education provided and corrected on site.

Alli’s Family Restaurant, 4525 W. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield. July 22 re-inspection – Result: active. Issue with gnats was resolved, shelf had been replaced. No violations noted.

American Food & Vending Services of Delaware, Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result:

Andy’s Frozen Custard, 1355 E. U.S. Highway 60 East, Republic. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed cheesecake at 63 degrees on counter, which was corrected at time of inspection by discarding food. No non-priority violations.

Backwoods Golf Restaurant, 6155 W. Republic Road, Brookline. July 18 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Four priority violations: Observed deli meat and coleslaw not marked with discard date; observed foods past discard date in prep cooler, which was discarded; observed chemical spray bottle stored over clean food contact equipment, corrected at time of inspection; observed no sanitizer in bar dish machine. One non-priority violation: Observed no test strips for sanitizer.

Beef-A-Roo, 1411 W. Kearney St., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. A re-inspection will be made on or after July 30 to check for compliance since some of the violations are the same as the last inspection. The outside dumpster lids were open and partially full of garbage. The shake or soft serve machine was out of service. No priority violations. Six non-priority violations: Observed hot water shut off at hand sink due to a leaking faucet, which is a repeat violation; observed caulking and wall behind three-vat sink is moldy and vents in both restrooms coated with debris, which is a repeat violation; observed drain under three-vat sink is leaking, which is a repeat violation; observed paper towel dispenser empty at one hand sink; observed none of three employees had any type of hair restraint during inspection and were preparing food; observed substantial ice buildup on floor and shelves in walk-in freezer.

Bubba’s BBQ, 504 N. West Bypass, Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Re-inspection will be made on July 24 to verify walk-in refrigerator is operating at proper temperatures and to make sure back exit route is clear of obstructions. One priority violation: Observed walk-in refrigerator running at 44 degrees Fahrenheit, so some raw potentially hazardous foods were relocated to properly operating units. Five non-priority violations: Observed small hole at wall-floor juncture in one corner of kitchen; observed corner by sound system walk-in refrigerator condenser and floor and some of wall was not clean; observed some racks in smoker were heavily coated with built-up food and sauce debris; observed facility had blanched fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings without documented use-by time, which was corrected; observed inside of hot hold cabinet and some counters were not clean.

Casey’s General Store No. 3013, 1510 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed cream dispensing machine tube longer than an inch and not cut on a diagonal, which was corrected on site and education given.

Casa Bella II, 300 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed queso at bar hot holder temped at 115 degrees, manager notified and due to establishment just opening, issue corrected by turning up hot holder dial; observed five plastic ladles with burns and melted edges on drying rack, corrected on site by discarding ladles. One non-priority violation: Observed mouse carcass on floor of water-heater room, manager notified, education provided and carcass to be sanitarily disposed of at end of shift.

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Cashew Chef, 1731 S. Enterprise Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. Two priority violations: Observed multiple containers of chicken left out at room temperature with no identifying markers for the date/time chicken was cooked and cooled, which was corrected on site by voluntarily discarding chicken due to being at room temp for 8 hours and education provided; observed employee cutting and portioning out cut teriyaki into containers while handling chicken with bare hands, which was corrected by voluntarily discarding chicken and containers and education provided. No non-priority violations.

Chick-Fil-A, 2355 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Chipotle Mexican Grill No. 1090, 1211 E. St. Louis St., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Three non-priority violations: Observed debris buildup on backsplash area of soda fountain, which is a repeat issue, education given; observed no paper towels in men’s restroom hand sink, which was corrected on site and education given; observed faucet in men’s restroom to be functional but in disrepair, education given.

Clearwater Cafe, 2500 E. Kearney St., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed grilled chicken in front cooler by pizza station measured at 51 degrees, which was corrected on site by voluntarily discarding product. Three non-priority violations: Observed several knives stored in sanitizer buckets between uses, which was corrected on site by removing knives from buckets and placing them on clean table and education provided; observed several containers of bulk ingredients not labeled; observed ambient temperature of cooler by pizza station was 49 degrees, which was corrected on site by readjusting the thermostat.

College Street Cafe, 1622 W. College St., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. Three priority violations: Observed a non-food grade bucket being used to store food, which is a repeat violation that was corrected on site; observed sanitizer bucket for wiping cloths had no sanitizer solution, education given and corrected on site; observed pan of sausage on countertop at 80 degrees with no date or time labeling, which was voluntarily discarded and education given. Two non-priority violations: Observed kitchen staff working without a hair restraint on; observed hand-washing sink for employees behind front counter had no paper towels, which was corrected during the inspection.

Cox Health – South, 3801 S. National Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited during inspection.

Culver’s, 1481 E. U.S. Highway 60 East, Republic. July 16 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed floors not clean under and behind equipment.

Darla’s Diner, 104 W. Jackson St., Willard. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed staff were unable to find quaternary ammonia strips for checking sanitizer.

Drury Inn & Suites, 2715 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed multiple items cooling from the previous night’s evening service that did not reach 41 degrees within 6 hours, which was corrected on site by voluntarily discarding products. No non-priority violations.

Eagle Stop Battlefield South, 4022 W. Republic Road, Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed not sanitizing food contact equipment. One non-priority violation: Observed dust and dirt buildup on fan coolers in walk-ins.

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Everyday Thai LLC, 220 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed freshly prepared crab rangoon at 44 degrees in one-door cold holder with ambient temperature of unit at 51 degrees. Manager notified and crab rangoon moved to other cold holder running within normal limits. Corrected on site by adjusting unit’s dial and turning temperature down, by end of inspection unit was at 37 degrees. One non-priority violation: Observed multiple bottles of hand soap stored above disposable gloves on storage shelf, which was corrected on site by moving soap to safe location.

Excel Day Treatment, 1631 W. Bennett St., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed daylight along bottom of exterior door in cafeteria, which is a repeat violation.

Farmer’s Gastropub, 2620 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

Flying J Travel Plaza No. 1061, 4939 W. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed inside of ice machine was not clean, staff indicated that ice is not used from that machine and turned it off; observed fan shield in kitchen walk-in refrigerator and floor in retail walk-in refrigerators were not clean.

Georgia Mac’s, 1440 E. Republic Road, Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed tongs being stored unclean on clean storage rack, which was corrected by removing tongs from service to be cleaned. No non-priority violations.

Golden Estates, 1134 W. Norton Road, Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Greenstay Bar, 3370 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Haruno Japanese Sushi Bar & Grill, 3044 S. Fremont Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: Observed cheesecake at 51 degrees in reach-in cooler, the cheesecake was discarded and cooler to be serviced; observed salmon and chicken at 45 degrees in cooler under grill, items were relocated and cooler to be serviced. No non-priority violations.

Harvest Restaurant, 8011 E. State Highway AD, Rogersville. July 18 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Two priority violations: Observed 0 parts per million of bleach in sanitizer buckets and dispenser, education given and re-inspection set; observed two cold-holding units above 41 degrees, education given and re-inspection set. One non-priority violation: Observed no bleach test strips, education given.

Hoods Restaurant, 1651 S. State Highway K, Bois D’Arc. July 17 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed two live cockroaches in corner of dish room, re-inspection will be made on or after July 24 to check for correction. Two non-priority violations: Observed at least a dozen missing floor tiles in dish area, near walk-in and in kitchen areas; observed floor beside walk-in freezer was not clean.

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Horton Smith Golf Course, 2409 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed cut tomatoes were 71 degrees in container on counter top, which was corrected on site by discarding tomatoes and is a repeat violation. One non-priority violation: Observed multiple bottles of chemicals stored above to-go container lids and paper towels, which was corrected on site by having employee relocate chemicals.

Hy-Vee Deli Kitchen/Club Room, 1720 W. Battlefield Road, Springfield. July 18 re-inspection – Result: active. Unit is now producing temperatures within acceptable range. No violations noted.

Ichiban Buffet, 625 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed raw chicken and raw beef stored on the floor of walk-in cooler, which was corrected on site and education given; observed raw tilapia thawing at room temperature, which was corrected on site and education given.

J & L Foods, 2944 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed whole shell eggs on counter at 70 degrees, not marked for time as control, owner said they were removed from temperature control less than 30 minutes before, corrected on site by marking eggs with time. No non-priority violations.

JJ&J Inc. of Kansas DBA Great Life Golf & Fitness, 8702 W. U.S. Highway 160, Willard. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed hot dogs on roller grill were 125 degrees, which was corrected by reheating hot dogs and turning unit up. One non-priority violation: Observed floor under range hood in back room was not clean.

Joe’s Route 66 Diner, 201 E. Chestnut St., Strafford. July 17 re-inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

LOL Restaurant, 340 W. Enterprise Court, Fair Grove. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Mama G’s Lovely Creations LLC, 210 S. Market St., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection, which was a 30-day inspection.

Max Orient No. 2, 1155 E. Battlefield Road, Springfield. July 16 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed food debris on floors under equipment and in corners of back kitchen area.

McAlister’s Deli, 210 W. Sunshine St., Springfield. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed vegetable slicer on storage shelf not clean, education given and corrected on site. Two non-priority violations: Observed daylight along bottom of door inside walk-in cooler, which is a repeat violation; observed vents inside the walk-in cleaner were not clean.

McDonald’s, 1114 W. Kearney St., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. A re-inspection will be made on or after July 26 to check dish sprayer. One priority violation: Observed dish sprayer at three-vat sink was hanging below flood rim of sink. One non-priority violation: Observed ice scoop laying in front of ice bin with handle touching ice.

Miss Boston’s Cocktail Lounge LLC, 3401 E. Old Stone Ave., Republic. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. Discussed proper storage of ice scoops. No violations noted.

Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe, 1435 E. Independence St., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

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Nett Restaurant Group LLC, 2808 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed dish machine not properly chemically sanitizing when chlorine concentration read 10 parts per million, a re-inspection is scheduled. No non-priority violations.

Nett Restaurant Group LLC, 2808 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. At time of re-inspection, dish machine was properly chemically sanitizing. No violations noted.

Optimum Vibes LLC, 89 W. Old Mill Road, Fair Grove. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed at time of inspection.

Peking House, 3108 E. Sunshine St., Springfield. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations cited at time of inspection.

Popeye’s No. 775 – HZ Ops Holdings Inc., 1710 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 19 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed raw chicken measuring at 55 degrees, ambient air temperature not able to be tested as ice being used as cooling mechanism. Corrected on site by moving chicken to time as control, education provided and re-inspection required. One non-priority violation: Observed two sauce containers filled with barbecue sauce in hand sink, corrected on site and education provided.

Price Cutter No. 20 Deli/Salad Bar, 335 N. Nolting Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed can opener and automatic meat slicer stored unclean, education given and corrected on site. Four non-priority violations: Observed wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer bucket; observed hand-washing sink on service line had no paper towels, which is a repeat violation that was corrected on site and education given; observed equipment and floor on cook line was not clean; observed boxes of single-use articles stored directly on floor.

Price Cutter No. 35 Meat/Seafood, 1260 E. St. Louis St., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed products cut and packaged in-house do not have name and place of establishment on labeling.

Purple Burrito No. 5, 3459 W. Kearney St., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed ice machine not working and is not planning to be fixed, according to staff; observed floor in walk-in refrigerator and beside one work table is not clean.

Rapid Roberts No. 118, 5011 S. State Highway FF, Battlefield. July 17 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

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St. Michael’s, 301 S. South Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed raw chicken stored over bag of bread rolls in reach-in cooler in basement, which was corrected on site and education provided. Three non-priority violations: Observed two boxes of bulk packaged powdered sugar stored on floor, which was corrected on site by placing product on inverted crate off floor; observed single-use bowls and lids stored in box directly on floor, corrected by relocating products off floor into shelving; observed primer pump on sanitizer for dish machine is not priming sanitizer through line into machine, owner scheduled repair and facility can still use dish machine for washing and rinsing dishes and have three-vat sink sanitize dishes.

Steak ‘N Shake, 3755 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Re-inspection scheduled for July 25 to re-check cold holder temperatures. One priority violation: Cold holder with an ambient temperature of 44 degrees. Hot dogs recently placed in unit were at 45 degrees and moved to adequate cold-holding unit while raw hamburger patties that were in unit overnight and 50 to 51 degrees were voluntarily discarded. No potentially hazardous foods should be stored in non-working cold hold unit until repaired or replaced. One non-priority violation: Observed buildup of debris below and behind dishwasher/three-vat sink and buildup of debris on walk-in freezer/cooler floor.

Sushi Kabar – Price Cutter, 335 N. Nolting Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed wiping cloth not stored in sanitizer bucket, repeat violation, education given and corrected on site; observed employee hand-washing sink without paper towels, repeat violation, education given and corrected on site.

Tacos El Champu 2 LLC, 603 S. Kimbrough Ave., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed ice scoop stored in ice machine with handle in direct contact with ice, corrected on site; observed daylight visible along bottom of door leading outside from kitchen.

Thailand Station, 1730 E. Republic Road, Springfield. July 19 re-inspection – Result: active. At time of inspection, make table had been serviced and was properly holding temperature. No violations noted.

The Traveling Chef, 318 Park Central East, Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Tinga Tacos – Duberry LLC, 308 W. McDaniel St., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. One non-priority violation: Observed old fridge in basement that no longer works and is not necessary for operation of establishment.

Toast2Toast LLC, 2515 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield. July 18 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. One priority violation: Observed slaw tested at 45 degrees in two-door prep cooler with ambient air at 47 degrees, salsa tested at 45 degrees in one-door prep cooler with ambient air at 45 degrees, two-door under-counter cooler had ambient temperature of 49 degrees. All potentially hazardous foods in coolers that were not holding 41 degrees or below were placed on time as control and set to be discarded at end of four hours. Person-in-charge stated they will have repairs made immediately. Education provided and re-inspection required. No non-priority violations.

Village Inn. 533 E. Elm St., Republic. July 18 routine inspection – Result: permitted with re-inspection. Three priority violations: Observed sliced tomatoes at 50 degrees and ham at 55 degrees in prep cooler, foods were discarded; observed eggs at 47 degrees; observed sour cream at 44 degrees and butter at 43 degrees in reach-in cooler. No non-priority violations.

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Waffle House No. 1231, 4128 S. National Ave., Springfield. July 22 routine inspection – Result: active. No priority violations. Two non-priority violations: Observed floor area in back around hand-washing sink and three-vat sink area is not clean; observed hand-washing sink filled with wipe cloth containers and used as a dump sink, education provided.

Walmart No. 0138, 1923 E. Kearney St., Springfield. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations observed during inspection.

Wendy’s No. 1061, 4939 W. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield. July 17 re-inspection – Result: active. All priority and core violations have been corrected at this time. No violations noted.

Wendy’s No. 25, 2125 E. Independence St., Springfield. July 19 routine inspection – Result: active. No violations noted.

Willard Aquatic Center, 220 W. Jackson St., Willard. July 18 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed hot dogs on roller grill were 118 degrees, which was corrected by reheating hot dogs and turning up grill. One non-priority violation: Observed four jars of pickles under hand sink drain lines, which were promptly relocated.

Ziggie’s Cafe, 1172 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield. July 23 routine inspection – Result: active. One priority violation: Observed bag of hash browns sitting on counter top at 55 degrees, which was corrected by placing on time as control and education provided. Four non-priority violations: Observed employee place dirty tongs into hand sink, rinse off dirty rag inside hand sink, which was corrected on site and education provided; observed ceiling tiles in back food prep area have large amounts of buildup, education provided; multiple lights in back food prep area are out and not functioning, education provided; observed hand sink in back corner of kitchen had no hand soap, corrected on site and education provided.

Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].