Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Leavey Eateries Violate Health Code

Taco Bell, Subway and Pizza Hut are among the seven Leavey Center restaurants that were cited for violations.
Taco Bell, Subway and Pizza Hut are among the seven Leavey Center restaurants that were cited for violations.

Recent food safety and hygiene inspections conducted by the D.C. Department of Health revealed health code violations at five restaurants in Leavey Center and eight combined violations at Uncommon Grounds and Vital Vittles.

Cosi, Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC and Taco Bell were all inspected on Oct. 3 and were cited for a total of 12 violations. The DOH gave these locations five days to correct the violations.

Cosi, which is managed by Aramark Higher Education, had three critical violations, which included cold food items being held at improper temperatures, prepared food items with no date or content labels and an out-of-order hand-washing sink in the kitchen, none of which could be corrected on site. According to the DOH, a food establishment would typically need six or more critical violations to be closed immediately.

Cosi was cited for more violations than any of the other Leavey Center restaurants that were inspected on Oct. 3, but those violations were immediately addressed and corrected according to an email from Aramark Marketing Manager Kendra Boyer. She did not elaborate on the violations or the corrective steps taken by Cosi.

“We have ongoing, rigorous training and quality assurance processes to ensure we meet very high standards,” Boyer wrote. “Consistent with our rigorous practices, the issues noted in the inspection reports were all immediately addressed and corrected.”

Cosi employee Kia Hellams said that the hand-washing sink has been repaired since the inspection.

The DOH cited Pizza Hut for two critical violations, including the lack of a certified food protection manager certificate and an out-of-order garbage disposal. Subway shares the disposal with Pizza Hut and was therefore also cited for this violation.

According to Mithu Hasan, manager of both Pizza Hut and Subway, the garbage disposal is in the process of being fixed. He said that parts for the garbage disposal have been ordered and should arrive next week, and he obtained a food protection manager certificate after the inspection.

KFC and Taco Bell also received two critical violations each. When the inspection began, KFC did not have a certified food protection manager on duty, but this issue was corrected during the inspection. Meanwhile, Taco Bell was cited for unclean food surfaces. Additionally, neither restaurant’s employee health policies required employees to report information about their health and activities related to diseases that are transmissible through food, according to the report.

According to DOH Area Supervisor Ronnie Taylor, the DOH has not yet conducted follow-up investigations of the Leavey Center restaurants. Taylor said that the restaurants have the responsibility to correct all violations before the follow-up investigation,
The DOH also found two violations at Uncommon Grounds after a Sept. 5 inspection. Inspectors found holes in the kitchen floor and dust, dirt, food residue and debris on non-food contact surfaces.

According to Chief Operating Officer of Students of Georgetown, Inc. Stephanie Wolfram (MSB ’13), all violations have been addressed.

Wolfram added that the hole referred to in the DOH inspection was located in the wooden platform on the barista stand.

“We patched that up right after they noticed it,” she said.

To correct the second violation, Wolfram said that Uncommon Grounds employees now sweep the crumbs that accumulate under the bagel toaster multiple times per day.

Vital Vittles, which was inspected on Oct. 3, received five non-critical violations — not having a hand-washing sign or paper towels above the sink, inadequate ventilation and lighting and improper temperature in a refrigerator — and one critical violation, a dirty sink.

The store has since installed a hand-washing sign, according to Wolfram. She also said that the inspector did not see the paper towels, which were in fact present, and that the dirty sink was not used by employees.

The remaining violations were also corrected by cleaning up spilled milk, adjusting the refrigerator temperature and ordering new light bulbs for the freezer.

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