Dairy Queen on Green Street in Henderson was closed Tuesday following a complaint to the Green River District Health Department. Green River District Health Department Environmental Health Director Rebecca Logan said her department received a complaint Tuesday about insects inside the Dairy Queen on Green Street.
The health department routinely inspects restaurants every six months, but they will inspect sooner if there are complaints. Dairy Queen was last inspected in January and received an A score – the top grade that can be given.
Before inspectors arrived, Logan said the store had already voluntarily closed to clean and treat areas that needed attention. Inspectors arrived to inspect the store on Tuesday morning and verified that there were insects in locations in the restaurant.
According to the inspection report, the store was not in compliance in the following areas:
• No certified food manager present
• Individual disposable towels and/or hand drying device not provided at lavatory or hand sink, hand washing sink is not accessible.
• Food and/or ice adulterated or contaminated. Food in contact with insects.
• Ready-to-eat food subject to contamination by insects, sauces and icings not properly stored.
• Food store uncovered. Bucket of icing not properly covered to prevent contamination.
• TCS food not maintained at 41F or below. Make table not holding proper temperature.
• Lack of properly maintained refrigeration unit for TCS food. Make table in poor repair – lid is not secured properly.
• Food stored where exposed to splash, dust, or tother contamination.
• Improper storage of clean utensils. Empty clean/food storage containers need to be nested upside down.
• Improper display/storage of single service items. Single service items that were already opened in contact with the floor.
• Equipment is not maintained in good repair or does not allow for proper adjustment. Gasket seal on walker in freezer in poor repair.
• Food nonfood-contact surface allows the migration of deleterious substances or impart colors, odors or tastes. Reach in cooler has bucket collecting condensation from cooling unit.
• Nonfood-contact surfaces accumulation of soil. Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment not cleaned at a frequency to prevent accumulation of soil residue.
• Plumbing not maintained in good repair. Three-compartment sink in poor repair.
• Toilet facility unclean. Restrooms lack frequent cleaning.
• Outer openings not protected against entry of pests. Floors not clean. Walls and ceilings not clean. Cleaning and maintenance equipment not properly stored.
The health department gave the Dairy Queen a letter C grade and will give them a chance to address issues and then request a follow up within 10 days. If the restaurant is ready for a follow up inspection before the 10-day follow up, they can contact the health department for an earlier inspection. Any request for a follow-up inspection will lead to a conference if any critical violations are not found to have been corrected.
The Green River District Health Department uses an A, B, C letter grading system on placards that food service businesses are required to post. The grading system guidelines are:
A – 85-100% with no critical violations. An “A” placard acknowledges safe food handling practices and designates that the facility meets the requirements of the Kentucky State Food Code without critical violations. The “A” placard will remain posted until the next routine inspection.
B – Includes ALL facilities that have failed two regular consecutive inspections, have failed a follow-up inspection, or were closed during the regular inspection due to imminent public health violations. The “B” placard will remain posted until the facility passes its next regular inspection.
C -84% or below. Includes ALL inspections with critical violations. A “C” placard indicates that a food service facility has failed to meet minimum requirements of the Kentucky State Food Code. This will include a score with any critical violations. The “C” placard will be placed for a minimum period of time determined by the inspector but not more than ten days. A follow-up inspection will be conducted and the applicable placard posted.
A facility that is closed for a score below 60 or for imminent public health violations, regardless of the numeric score, will be required to post a B placard after passing the next follow-up inspection. The B placard will be posted regardless of the passing numeric score. The B placard must be displayed until the next routine inspection.
A facility that fails two (2) consecutive regular inspections will be under administrative review. Any restaurant that fails two consecutive inspections will be required to post a “B” until its next unscheduled inspection.
Those facilities that fail a single inspection will be re-inspected within 10 days and the subsequent placard will reflect the follow-up inspection grade. If the re-inspection score is 85 or higher and no critical violations were detected, the facility will earn an “A” placard.
The posting requirement applies to permitted food businesses such as restaurants, bakeries, and retail food stores that cook, process, or otherwise prepare “ready-to-eat” foods that are sold or given to the public. The requirement covers the district’s seven counties of Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Mclean, Ohio, Union, and Webster.