Park Ridge inspections yields 2 license suspensions, $2K fine

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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:34AM

Park Ridge’s Department of Environmental Health suspended the business licenses of two restaurants and fined a third restaurant $2,000 last year after health inspectors noted continued sanitation problems within the establishments.

Pest problems and a malfunctioning refrigeration unit were cited as reasons behind the respective closures of Jade House, 650 N. Northwest Highway, and Original House of Pancakes, 106 S. Northwest Highway, while “repeated offenses” involving food safety and sanitation led to the fine against Eggsperience, 90 N. Northwest Highway, 2011 sanitation inspection reports indicate.

More than 100 Park Ridge restaurants, grocery stores, cafeterias and convenience stores were inspected by city health officers last year. Most establishments received scores in the A- or B-grade range, though inspectors did fail three restaurants and gave D-grades to another seven establishments.

Food-service establishments in Park Ridge are rated on several areas, the most critical being proper temperature of cooked and uncooked food, proper sanitation of utensils and cookware, a proper hot-water source, hygienic practices by employees, avoiding cross-contamination of food, and insect and rodent control.

Cockroach infestation

Jade House was closed by the city three times in 2011 due to repeated cockroach infestation, a review of food-sanitation inspection reports shows.

The Health Department suspended the Chinese restaurant’s business license June 21 after a routine inspection uncovered live cockroaches near a dishwasher, according to the report. The restaurant, which received a 69-percent inspection score, was allowed to reopen June 25, but was closed again Oct. 31 after evidence of cockroaches was reportedly observed inside the establishment following a complaint to the Health Department from an adjacent business.

Cockroaches, both live and dead, were reportedly found on several follow-up visits until Dec. 5, when an inspector noted that all critical violations had been corrected. Still, Jade House was closed a third time on Dec. 15, again due to continued cockroach issues, an inspection report stated. The business license was reinstated the following day.

Health Inspector Tim Schwarz said inspectors met with the restaurant’s owner to discuss the problem.

“Finally they hired a good pest-control operator,” he said.

Owner Chris Chervyituk said cockroaches arrived at the restaurant through deliveries, something he had not experienced before.

“The problem came not from us,” he said.

Chervyituk said a pest-control company was brought in three times a week to address the issue and there have been no more cockroach sightings.

“I think he did a pretty good job,” Chervyituk said.

Fridge, fruit fly fouls

Original House of Pancakes was closed by the Health Department twice in June due to a reportedly faulty refrigerator followed by a fruit-fly infestation that Schwarz called “probably the worst I’ve seen.”

During a routine June 15 inspection, a refrigerator containing a number of food items that can cause illness if not stored at the proper temperature was found to be operating at a higher temperature than allowed. An inspector ordered all of the food contained inside to be discarded, including cases of eggs, bacon, pancake batter, raw hamburger and corned beef.

The restaurant received a 53-percent score on its inspection. According to the report, mouse droppings were observed in a food-prep area and fruit flies were found in the kitchen.

The restaurant’s license was reinstated the following day when the refrigerator was found to be working properly, the inspection report stated.

Owner Dale Eisenberg acknowledged that the refrigeration unit was not working properly and said it was repaired. The restaurant was never closed to customers because the inspection occurred in the afternoon when the establishment was already closed for the day, Eisenberg said.

Original Pancake House had its business license suspended again June 29 when a large number of fruit flies were reportedly observed inside the restaurant. Schwarz said a swarm of fruit flies flew out of a linen basket he was inspecting.

The license was reinstated the next day, though evidence of fruit flies was noted during follow-up inspections in July.

All critical issues appeared to have been corrected by Aug. 7, and during a routine December inspection, when the restaurant received a B-grade, no fruit flies were observed, according to the inspection report.

Eisenberg said the restaurant’s regular extermination company was brought in following the June 29 license suspension.

“We did what we needed to do to remedy it,” he said.

Food safety, sanitation

Eggsperience was fined $2,000 in spring 2011 due to repeated critical violations, Schwarz said.

The restaurant, which received a 33-percent inspection score and had its business license temporarily suspended shortly after it opened in 2010, was given another failing grade during a March 2011 routine inspection which noted improper food temperatures and sanitary issues involving employees, according to the inspection report.

“Their problems were basic food safety and sanitation,” Schwarz said.

The inspection report stated that during the March 18 visit an inspector observed employees handling ready-to-eat foods with their bare hands, a violation that was noted during the October 2010 inspection, as well. Employees were also reportedly observed putting on gloves before washing their hands.

Schwarz said management was ordered to attend a mandatory meeting with Health Department personnel, during which training practices were discussed. The restaurant was also told to present an action plan for correcting the alleged violations noted during the inspection.

According to a March 31 inspection report, proper hygienic practices were observed. Eggsperience passed an October routine inspection with a 78-percent score, though issues with proper food temperature were still noted by an inspector.

A representative for the family-owned restaurant declined to comment for this story.

Other violations

Eggsperience was not the only Park Ridge establishment to fail an inspection. Colonial Coffee Shop, 800 W. Devon Ave., received a 59 percent during a November 2011 inspection largely due to food-temperature issues and an employee observed handling toast with bare hands, according to the report. All critical violations were found to have been corrected during a December re-inspection.

D’Agostino’s Pizza, 742 Higgins Road, also received a 59 percent when inspected in August. According to the inspection report fruit flies were observed in the kitchen and bar areas, food-temperature issues were noted and the pizza buffet did not include a buffer to protect food from contamination. A re-inspection just four days later noted that all critical violations had been corrected and “sneeze shields” had been added to the buffet area.

Though not closed or fined, Maine South High School’s cafeteria, 1111 S. Dee Road, received a D-grade after evidence of pests and rodent activity were reportedly observed during an inspection.

According to the inspection report dead roaches were found in the kitchen and dishwasher room; mouse droppings were observed in a dry-storage room and near the dishwasher; and rat droppings were found in the salad bar/pizza line.

Schwarz called the evidence of rat activity “a big, big issue because that’s not tolerated at all.” He said the school addressed the matter immediately and a follow-up inspection the next day noted that there was no evidence of insect or rodent activity, according to the report.

“We had a (pest-control) company do additional treatment and monitor the area,” said Maine Township District 207 spokesman Dave Beery. “We believe that’s been taken care of.”

The school also addressed several food-temperature issues and has since replaced some pieces of kitchen equipment, Beery said.

Objectie is
improvement

In an effort to get establishments to fix ongoing, critical problems that have been noted by inspectors, the Health Department will now be sending repeat offenders before the city’s adjudication hearing officer, Schwarz said. The hearing officer will then set a fine against the establishment.

Schwarz said the hope is that by requiring owners to attend an adjudication hearing and pay fines for failing to correct health violations will get them to change their behavior and procedures.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” he said.

Schwarz also said issues with food safety and improper sanitation can arise when owners and managers are largely absent from the establishments they operate.

“You have to have good management in place in order to enforce those rules,” he said.

Personal hygiene, particularly a lack of hand-washing and employees’ touching cooked food with their bare hands, are main challenges Schwarz said he often observed during inspections.

He did note that the Environmental Health Department is seeing establishments that, in the past, scored low on inspections now earning better grades.

“The nice thing is we are seeing improvements,” he said.