A state inspector conducted a routine health inspection Wednesday afternoon at Dream Wingz on Cainlo Drive in Clarksville. Upon arrival, the kitchen sink was not stocked with paper towels, and the automated three-compartment sick had no sanitizer. Temperature-controlled items in the reach-in cooler read 45 degrees, slightly over the acceptable level. They also found raw fish thawing in room-temperature 71-degree water when it should have temped at 41 degrees. PVC cement was stored above sauces and salts, while degreaser was stored on top of breading. The restaurant was issued a second-notice letter for having raw eggs stored directly over other food, an infraction they were also cited for in August.
Tag: Restaurant Inspections
APSU Campus Cafeteria scores 77 on state health inspection
The Campus Cafeteria inside the Student Center at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville scored a 77 on its test Wednesday, as a state health inspector conducted a routine inspection. Overall, there was not any proper handwashing; employees were touching themselves, handling cleaning bottles, and more without any hand washing. Everyone present had to stop and wash their hands during the inspection. Food was stored improperly in the cooler and freezer, putting items at risk for contamination from raw food items. A total of fifty pounds of food was embargoed – both from the cold food line, where it was held at over fifty degrees, and from a tub of alfredo sauce that was cooked the day prior and was just sitting unused on a prep table at nearly sixty degrees. More food was embargoed after it was found sitting on the omelette prep station at fifty-six degrees, too warm for standards. The inspector noted this was the third consecutive inspection where items were not held at proper temperatures, and has scheduled a priority follow-up on all critical violations.
Harbor Cafe scores 75 on health inspection; 70 lbs of food embargoed
An inspector with the Tennessee Department of Health conducted a routine inspection Friday at Harbor Cafe on Loews Drive. Fifty pounds of prime rib was embargoed due to being cooked 17 hours prior and temping at 46 degrees. Noodles and ground beef were cooked the day prior but had no date markings. Inside the cooler, a pan of uncooked raw chicken was sitting inside an uncovered container of cooked chicken. Wet and soiled wiping cloths were lying on food prep tables throughout. Multiple other violations were noted, including a heavy buildup of grease in the hood over the fry station and sludge in the ice machine. Harbor Cafe received a 75 on the inspection.
Strawberry Alley Ale Works dishes still not washed correctly, per Dept of Health
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.
Casa D’Italia Ristorante scores 59 on Health Inspection — 15 pounds of food embargoed
Clarksville’s newest Italian restaurant, Casa D’Italia Ristorante, received a devastating score of 59 from the health department in its third week of being open to the public. Hands were not washed, dishes were not sanitized, sausage and ground beef items were cooked 3 hours in advance and sitting out at 76 degrees, meatballs were under temperature, pasta was pre-cooked and held at 48 degrees, and dozens of other violations. Fifteen pounds of food was embargoed from being served.
Mickey’s Downtown scores 77: cockroaches crawling on kitchen walls & in coolers
A Health Department inspector visited Mickey’s Downtown Friday and noted, among multiple other serious issues, there were cockroaches on the outside and inside of the reach-in cooler and several cockroaches crawling on the kitchen walls. The restaurant was also operating a dish machine without using sanitizer and had no posted permit to operate.
Riverside Drive Waffle House scores 62 on Health Inspection
With 5 pounds of food embargoed, and some violations issued for the 8th consecutive time, Waffle House on Riverside Drive received a score of 62 on a routine health inspection Wednesday. This is the lowest score ever for this location, which once received an 88 in October of 2021 as the prior lowest score. Employees will be forced to wash dishes by hand until the dishwasher is repaired, as it was not properly heating, and stop placing their phones on the cutting boards where food is prepared, another multiple other remedies before the follow-up inspection within a few days.
La Plaza on Riverside scored 74 by Health Dept; long history of low scores on surprise inspections
State Health Inspectors say they walked into La Plaza #3 on Riverside Drive Wednesday to find no soap or hot water at the hand-washing sink, raw food stores above ready-to-eat foods that could be dripped on, a dish-washing machine with zero chlorine, raw shrimp and steak that was too warm had to be embargoed, knives stores behind wall trim, and an abundance of gnats.
In August of 2020, their routine inspection scored a 77 with a follow-up of 93; in March of 2020, the restaurant scored a 55, with a follow-up of 92, and last November they managed to score a 65, with a follow-up of 94 — setting a clear trend that rules are only followed for a short period after being caught breaking them.
Rudy’s Diner struggles to earn an 82 on Health Inspection: Ants & Employee Hygiene
An inspector with the Department of Health visited Rudy’s Diner on Madison Street on Monday for nearly an hour, and the local favorite struggled to earn an 82 for their Health Inspection Score. Major violations included an employee pulling up his pants with a gloved hand and never changing gloves while continuing to work with food, while another touched a person’s toast with their bare hands prior to serving it. There were ants crawling on the wall above the sink, and the dishwashing machine never reached 160 degrees for proper sanitation.
The dish machine was taken out of service, and all dishes must be hand washed until repaired. One year ago, during the May of 2021 inspection, the dish machine also was not reaching proper sanitization temperatures.
Whitt’s BBQ receives 68 on health inspection 30 pounds of weeks old meat embargoed; hold order on more
The Department of Health conducted a routine inspection of Whitt’s BBQ on Wilma Rudulph Blvd on Wednesday and gave the restaurant a score of 68. 30 pounds of cooked beef was embargoed, some of it was cooked 21 days ago, and was still in the walk-in-cooler for use. The maximum allowed is seven days. A dozen other violations were noted, including no running water in the smokehouse, a sink clogged up with black standing water, meat products too warm in the walk-in-cooler, and too cool in the food warmers, by over forty degrees.
51: Inspectors found more roaches than handsoap at SOHO Chinese Japanese Fusion restaurant in Clarksville
Health Inspectors gave the SOHO Chinese & Japanese Fusion restaurant a 51 during a Thursday morning inspection in North Clarksville. The routine inspection revealed roaches crawling on the walls, floors, and pipes, no handwashing (and no soap at the sink), raw animal products improperly stored (some at improper temperatures and loose in grocery bags), dishes not being washed or sanitized, and the staff wasn’t checking dates or temperatures of food products. The location has a history of low scores, receiving a 58 in March of 2021, and a 66 in July of 2020.
China King scores 78 on health inspection, some 2nd & 3rd notice items, raw food storage issues
China King on Lowes Drive received a score of 78 on a routine restaurant inspection from the Tennessee Department of Health on March 24th. An inspector found raw shrimp stored on top of cooked potatoes, raw chicken stored over crab salad, raw fish stored over prep sauce, Sushi rice not marked with time expiration, food not being reheated to the proper temperature, including beef pastries, and wet & soiled wiping cloths stored on prep tables/workstations.
This was the 2nd notice for raw food being stored on prepped food and reheating temperatures, and the 3rd notice about the food expiration times and about improper cooler temperatures, with some 15 food items embargoed during this inspection.
A full copy of the inspection is included in the story…
