An Inspector with the Tennessee Department of Health visited Strawberry Alley Ale Works Friday and issued a critical violation for improper dishwashing — the third such violation within a year and the fourth in their history.
Despite multiple tests, the dishwashing machine would only heat to between 148 and 156 degrees using a plate thermometer run through several times. A technician was called yet again, and the restaurant was instructed to use a three-compartment sink to hand wash the dishes until the unit could be serviced. Management claimed the machine’s temperature is checked twice a day, so they did not understand how it was not working now; however, they were unable to provide any log of temperature checks.
In March 2023, during an inspection, an employee simply raised a utensil to clean it, using no soap or sanitizer prior to using it for food preparation. An October inspection also revealed the same temperature issue as the most recent inspection — a problem that also was revealed in a 2021 inspection.
Overall, the restaurant scored an 88 on the current inspection, with that being the only critical violation. Other violations included cheese sauce at an improper temperature, milk and half-and-half too warm at over 50 degrees, and other temperature issues in the prep cooler, along with a slimy black residue built up inside the ice machine.
