Are food handlers at your favorite Manatee restaurants washing their hands? These are not

Multiple restaurants were cited by inspectors for not providing access to a handwashing sink. One restaurant’s sink was blocked by a cart, while others were filled with items such as fryer baskets.

• Bonefish Grill, 8101 Cooper Creek Blvd., University Park, had a buildup of black/green mold-like substance inside of the ice machine and food encrusted around a mixer head, inspectors say. The employee handwashing sink wasn’t accessible because of items held in it. Employee training had expired for multiple employees.
• Steak & Shake, 106 Cortez Road, Bradenton, employees were unable to use the handwash sink because it was filled with fryer baskets. Another handwashing sink had no hot water or paper towels. Inspectors found encrusted debris on a milk dispensing nozzle and a mixer head.
• Captain Brian’s Seafood Market, 8421 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, did not provide soap at the handwash sink and food was cold held at temperatures higher than 41 degrees. The restaurant’s menu also didn’t identify which items contain raw or undercooked animal foods. Inspectors say food was stored for more than a day without a proper date marking and some employees did not have proof of state-approved employee training.
• The Waterlefe Golf Club, 1022 Fish Hook Cove, Bradenton, had an accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the ice machine and the dishwasher did not use chlorine sanitizer. The handwashing sink for employees was blocked by a cart and contained items, making it unusable. Food was observed cold held at temperatures much higher than 41 degrees, including cooked chicken at 85 degrees and shredded cheese at 71. Other items in the cooler were more than a day old and stored without a date marking. These problems were rectified by the time an inspector visited the next day.
• Zota Beach Resort, 4711 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Longboat Key, didn’t have hot water that reached 100 degrees in the women’s restroom or the employee handwash sink. There was also no proof of state-approved training for employees hired more than 60 days ago.
• Inspectors at Keke’s Breakfast Café discovered that the dishwasher’s chlorine sanitizer was empty and the restaurant was ordered to manually clean dishes until the sanitization reached the proper strength. Employees at Keke’s also touched ready-to-eat food with bare hands and some employees lacked state-approved employee training. The Panini press was also found to have a “heavy soil buildup” of grease.
• The Subway at 2215 60th Ave. E., Ellenton, did not have a certified food manager during an inspector’s visit because the certification had expired.
• Cardboard containers were being used to store cooked pork in a walk-in cooler during an inspector visit to Moon Wok, 8194 Tourist Center Dr., Bradenton. Required employee training had expired for every worker at the restaurant.
• At Pirate City’s Kitchen, 1701 27th St. E., Bradenton, inspectors discovered food cold held at temperatures higher than 41 degrees. The strength of the sanitization solution was also below minimum strength.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Are food handlers at your favorite Manatee restaurants washing their hands? These are not."