Dirty dining: Handwashing and food safety issues at Bradenton area restaurants

Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants routinely inspects restaurants, food trucks and other food service establishments for public health and cleanliness issues.

During the most recent inspections in Manatee County, several restaurants were cited for employee handwashing issues.

Other problems at Bradenton-area restaurants included moldy equipment, unsafe food temperatures and no proof of food safety training for employees.

Here is what inspectors found.

China 1, 613 10th St. E., Palmetto

• Raw pork and raw chicken were stored on a shelf with unwashed celery. Corrective action was taken.
• Shrimp egg rolls and cooked ribs were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. The items had been in the cooling unit for more than 24 hours. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse and the items were discarded.
• Shrimp egg rolls that were being held for future use in a walk-in cooler were not date-marked.
• Cutting boards were soiled and in disrepair.
• A walk-in cooler was soiled.
• Walls throughout the kitchen were soiled.
• Hood filters were soiled with grease and dust.
• An exterior door had a gap at the threshold that opened to the outside.
• An employee beverage was stored on a prep table. Corrective action was taken.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Popi’s Place Too, 815 Eighth Ave. W., Palmetto

• An inspector observed a food employee change gloves without washing hands in the process. A restaurant operator advised the employee on proper handwashing procedure.
• Two cream pies were cold held at a temperature greater than 41 degrees in a reach-in cooler. The items had been held in the unit for more than 24 hours. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse. A restaurant operator discarded the pies.
• Cleaner was stored next to a covered container of sugar. Corrective action was taken.
• A cutting board, a slicer and a can opener in the kitchen were soiled.
• Access to an employee handwashing station was blocked. Corrective action was taken.
• Coffee filters were stored unprotected from contamination. Corrective action was taken.
• Reach-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.
• The floor was soiled in a dry storage area.
• Employee personal food items were stored in the walk-in cooler with food to be served to customers.
• Employee beverages were stored on a preparation table. Corrective action was taken.
• A cutting board had cut marks and was no longer cleanable.
• Ceiling tiles in a dry storage area were soiled.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Dunkin’, 1309 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton

• There was no proof of required food safety training for any employees.
• Single-service items were stored on the floor. Corrective action was taken.
• A follow-up inspection was required.

Culver’s, 3515 Cortez Rd. W., Bradenton

• Butter and ranch dressing were cold but held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. Corrective action was taken.
• Cleaning solution was stored next to single-service items. Corrective action was taken.
• There was a black/green mold-like substance in an ice chute on a self-service drink machine.
• No paper towels were provided at an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.
• There was a black/green mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine.
• A drain cover was missing at a mop sink. Corrective action was taken.
• A handwash sink in the men’s restroom was not working. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Woody’s River Roo Pub & Grill, 5717 18th St. E., Ellenton

• An employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to work with food, according to an inspector.
• Raw hamburger was stored with cooked pork. Corrective action was taken.
• Two pounds of cooked shrimp were cold held at a temperature greater than 41 degrees. A stop sale was issued. A restaurant operator voluntarily discarded the shrimp.
• A can opener was soiled.
• There was soiling behind soda dispensing nozzles.
• Walls throughout the kitchen were soiled.
• There was no door at an entrance to a men’s restroom.
• There was an accumulation of mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine/bin. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe, 4000 Gulf Dr., Holmes Beach

• An inspector observed an employee crack raw shell eggs and then change gloves without washing hands in the process. Corrective action was taken.
• Sliced tomatoes, sliced ham and cooked chicken were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees. Corrective action was taken.
• A handwash sink was being used as a dump sink. An inspector advised that handwash sinks are to be used for handwashing only. Corrective action was taken.
• A wet wiping cloth was not being stored in sanitizing solution between uses. Corrective action was taken.
• A soiled dry cloth was being used to clean cookware. Corrective action was taken.
• There were no handwashing signs posted at any employee handwash sinks. Corrective action was taken.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Editor’s Note: According to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, these reports are a “snapshot” of the conditions present at the time of the inspection and are public record. The agency is required to inspect every licensed restaurant at least once per year, but new and “high-risk” establishments tend to be inspected more frequently.

When an emergency shutdown order is given by an inspector, it must first be reviewed and approved by agency supervisors. In order for a business to reopen, an inspector will continue visiting the establishment daily until compliance is met. Some citations may include a financial penalty. Inspectors may also respond to complaints, which can be filed here.

The Bradenton Herald’s weekly dirty dining reports list restaurants where inspectors found issues that might concern the average diner — such as unsafe food temperatures, employee handwashing issues or moldy drink machines — regardless of whether or not the businesses passed inspection.