Columbia news, views & reviews regularly features commentary and posts about food safety and restaurant inspections. We believe enforced inspection programs are vital instruments that identify problem areas that can be remedied before the problem areas evolve into or result in catastrophic incidents.

“‘If you want to change big things, you pay attention to small things.’ said Rudy Giuliani on C-Span talking about the ‘Broken Windows’ theory. The idea of it is that you had to pay attention to small things, otherwise they would get out of control and become much worse.”

The restaurant inspections article in the May 9, 2011 York Dispatch provides an excellent comparison of the expectation of inspections. In one case the owner of a food serving establishment said “… he was embarrassed by the violations, which he considers a ‘black eye’ to a company that hadn’t failed an inspection since it started as a roadside stand 63 years ago.”

The owner said “all of the issues were corrected immediately, though the inspector came during a lunch rush.

“The manager of the location is very conscientious, and steps have been taken to make sure the violations don’t occur again, he said. He is also having a new sink installed.”

Clearly this is a business owner who appreciates the value of independent inspections that can help provide assistance in running an effective business operation.

Another business owner took a different stance after his establishment received “10 violations, including improper hand washing, an employee working with exposed foods while wearing fingernail polish, not wearing hair restraints, improper storage of food, and having a dirty shelf in the kitchen.

He stated, “… he didn’t consider the violations serious, but everything has been corrected.

“‘It’s just dinky crap that they pick on you for,’ he said. ‘We had a little tougher (inspector) this time. They usually tell you what’s wrong and let you change it without writing it down, but we just had one this time that just wrote everything up.’

“He said the establishment is safe, and has been operating for 25 years without ever having been out of compliance before.”

We believe that consumers deserve to know that a facility’s staff demonstrates patterns and practices of violation of food safety codes no matter whether the owner considers it “dinky crap.” Violation of health and safety codes is never “dinky crap!” If you are doing business in a regulated field in which public health and safety is concerned, you follow the rules.  

Do “sweat the small stuff”

Author Gary Ryan Blair says it this way: “From typos to tardiness, many people and organizations act as if details just don’t matter much. The result of this mindset is that they treat customers poorly, deliver sloppy results, and show up both unprepared and late.

“Many people downplay small details, dismissing them as minutia—the ‘small stuff’ that we’re encouraged to ignore. But in fact, our entire environment is simply an accumulation of tiny details. Although we measure our lives in years, we live them in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

“Every action—every detail of our lives–has bottom-line repercussions; and it’s dangerous and derogatory to think of any of those details as trivial, unimportant or inconsequential.

“Ultimately, the key to quality in every aspect of our lives is doing little things correctly, all the time, every time, so that each action produces a quality result. When every detail is lovingly attended to, and each step in the process is given complete and careful attention, the end result inevitably will be of the highest quality.

“Passion for your work, a pervasive commitment to quality, and relentless attention to details are essential markers of excellence. Quality work and an appreciation for the importance of details benefit not just the clients a business serves; these attitudes and habits also bring joy and peace of mind to the person who delivers the work. To know how to do something exceptionally well is to enjoy it.”

According to the York Dispatch article, “State and local inspectors visit food-serving establishments once per year to ensure places that serve food are following safety guidelines, such as storing food at the proper temperature and keeping food preparation areas clean. The inspector has discretion to determine the severity of situations and decides whether an establishment is classified as compliant or non-compliant and whether to close the operation. Repeat violations or serious violations often result in a non-compliant status.

“Noncompliant establishments are inspected more than once per year, with inspectors scheduling follow-up visits at their discretion. Facilities can be closed for imminent health hazards when they pose a serious threat to the community, such as an infestation, lack of water or gross unsanitary conditions.”

This article appeared in Wednesday’s York Dispatch: “York City restaurant closed for health violations.” 

Borough of Columbia inspections during April 2011

• Dollar General

Lancaster County inspections

Each week the Lancaster Sunday News publishes results of inspections in Lancaster County.

“The Pennsylvania Depart­ment of Agriculture, 866-366-3723, uses a “risk-based” inspection reporting process for restaurants and other food handlers. The following inspec­tion reports were complet­ed in April 13-25.”

Amish Country Hand-Rolled Pretzels, 4245 Green Park Drive, Mount Joy, April 20. No violations.

BB’s Grocery Outlet, 581 Camargo Road, Quarryville, April 18. Severely dented, swollen, distressed canned items in store area and intended for use or sale in the food facility. Corrected. Raw chicken displayed next to ham and yogurt in common equipment with no barriers to prevent cross-contamination. Corrected. Insect webbing on racks in sorting area.

Brother’s International Foods, 806 S. Duke St., April 25. No violations.

Buck Motorsports, 900 Lancaster Pike, Quarryville, April 20. No violations.

Burger King No. 1514, 5300 Main St., East Petersburg, April 20. No violations.

Chen’s House, 320 Honeysuckle Drive, Marietta, April 19. Employees eating in food prep areas. Food employ­ees in prep area not wearing proper hair restraints. Raw meat and fish items are stored above ready-to-eat items in walk-in cooler. Facility uses single-ser­vice cups without handles to serve ready-to-eat foods. Several potentially hazardous foods held at room temperature. Pepsi cool­er at front counter does not have an internal thermometer. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Facility does not have approved sanitizer products on site. Non-food contact sur­faces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. Hand sink in restroom does not have proper signage. The food facility does not employ a certified employee as required.

China King, 1621 Manheim Pike, April 21. Employee per­sonal medicines were in food prep area and not stored in dressing rooms or identified storage areas as required. Raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat foods in the walk-in cooler. Food stored directly on the floor in walk-in cooler rather than six inches off the floor. Observed oil drips on fire suppression line over cooking area. Old food residue on utensils on magnetic strip. Single-service items in food prep area stored uncovered or not inverted. Women’s restroom is not provided with a covered waste receptacle for sanitary napkins. Paper towel dispenser empty at the hand sink in the food prep area.

Coffee Company, The, 1639 Lititz Pike, April 15. Food employees in food prep area not wearing proper hair restraints. Raw eggs stored over ready-to-eat foods. Food dispensing utensil in bulk foods stored in the food and not with handle above the top of the food and the con­tainer. Food stored directly on the floor in walk-in freezer rather than 6 inches off the floor as required. Deeply scored cutting boards not resurfaced or dis­carded as required. Pink residue on the deflector in the ice maker. Several utensils hanging on magnetic strip had food residue and were not clean to sight and touch.

Courtside Lounge, 37 E. Orange St., April 21. No food preparation done on site; how­ever, hand sink must still be used. All countertops and all equipment needs to have a good cleaning.

Cupola Cafe & Crafts, 2801 Lincoln Highway East, Ronks, April 18. Food stored directly on the floor in freezer area rather than 6 inches off the floor. Food contact surface of Teflon pan is not smooth and easily cleanable. Deeply scored cutting boards not resurfaced or discarded as required.

DiMaria’s Pizza & Italian Kitchen, 759 E. Main St., Mount Joy, April 19. Cooked beef and chicken cooling in containers at room temperature. Deeply scored cutting boards not resur­faced or discarded.

Emma’s Baked Goods, 274 S. Little Britain Road, Nottingham, April 21. No viola­tions.

Fisher’s Pastries, 3061 W. Newport Road, Ronks, April 19. No water report for current year.

Giant Food Store No. 485, 700 Main St., Mount Joy, April 18. No violations.

Grand China, 1509 Oregon Pike, April 18. Follow-up inspec­tion; no violations.

Healthnut, 432 Old Market St., Mount Joy, April 20. No viola­tions.

Krishna Deli & Grocery, 106 E. King St., April 25. No vio­lations.

La Casetta Tratteria, 360 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks, April 19. Food employees not wearing proper hair restraints. Corrected.

Lancaster County Milk Wagon, 429 Strasburg Road, Paradise, April 21. No violations.

Landis Foods, 679 Hartman Station Road, April 18. No viola­tions.

Legends Hospitality, 650 N. Prince St., April 25. No viola­tions.

Loft, The, 201 W. Orange St., April 21. No violations.

Lucky Duck Cakes, 106 Kloss St., April 19. Light not shielded in refrigerator. No ther­mometer in refrigerator.

Mainstay Suites, 314 Primrose Lane, April 15. Black residue inside the ice machine.

Manheim Gas & Mart, 191 N. Main St., Manheim, April 18. Old food residue inside micro­wave. Spillage on the floor in the walk-in cooler. Lights are not shielded or shatterproof in any of the coolers where drinks are kept.

Manor Brethren in Christ Church, 530 Central Manor Road, April 21. Raw chicken and eggs over ready-to-eat foods. Deeply scored and stained cutting board was voluntarily discarded. Old food residue on small and large mixers.

Marion Court Room, 7 Marion Court, April 21. Replace several ceiling tiles in kitchen area.

McDonalds No. 06636, 1434 Manheim Pike, April 18. A working container of cleaner and sanitizer were stored above or on the same shelf with food in the food area. Trays of raw eggs stored over salads in walk-in cooler. Food condiments stor­age containers, in the food prep area and walk-in cooler, were not labeled with the common name of the food. Food utensils in food prep area stored in a container of water which is not maintained at 135 F. Wet wip­ing cloths in food prep area not stored in sanitizer solution. Also, sanitizer solution noted to be at 50 ppm. Pink residue on ice maker deflector shield. Single-service items in food prep area not stored in an inverted manner. Clean food equipment and/or utensils in dishwash and food prep area stored wet in a man­ner that does not allow for drain­ing and/or air drying. Outside waste handling unit had drain plug removed. Exterior door in the rear area of the food facility has a gap and does not protect against the entry of insects, rodents and other animals.

McDonalds No. 23287, 990 Lititz Pike, Lititz, April 15. Coffee residue inside and on exterior of some newly cleaned coffee pots. Metal inserts stacked wet.

Millbridge Village, 101 S. Ronks Road, Paradise, April 21. No violations.

Molly’s Pub, 253 E. Chestnut St., April 21. No viola­tions.

New Danville 6 Pack, 2096 New Danville Pike, April 21. Chicken and eggs stored over top of ready-to-eat foods in cooler and in cooler under bain marie. Food utensils in food prep area stored in a container of water which was not main­tained at 135 F. Old food residue on knives and cleavers. Food facility does not have sanitizer test strips or test kit available to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. Old food residue inside microwave. Lights are not shielded or shatterproof in the cooler unit. No sign posted at the handwash sink in the men’s rest­room to remind food employees to wash their hands.

Pat’s Raw Food Delights, 6 Valley Run Village, Christiana, April 14. No violations.

Pemberley Tea Shop, 443 N. Mulberry St., April 25. No vio­lations.

Pequea Creek Campground, 86 Fox Hollow Road, Pequea, April 21. No vio­lations.

Peters Barbeque, 1125 Fairview Road, Manheim, April 20. No violations.

Pita Pit, 651 N. Charlotte St., April 25. No violations.

Rachel’s Cafe & Creperie, 309 N. Queen St., April 21. Food employees in food prep area not wearing proper hair restraints. Old food residue on large stand­ing mixer.

Red Lobster No. 0240, 69 East Town Mall, April 19. Plate storage container with an accu­mulation of food residue and debris on non-food contact sur­faces. Corrected. Soup spoons not stored inverted. Corrected.

Reist Popcorn Co., 113 Manheim St., Mount Joy, April 14. Opened, unscreened window found below feed chute along north side of processing building.

Rita’s Italian Ice No. 417, 85 Doe Run Road, Manheim, April 18. No violations.

Solanco Little League, 1070 Kirkwood Pike, Quarryville, April 21. No violations.

Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill No. 2, 1850 Oregon Pike, April 15. Food stored on the floor in the walk-in freezer in the back. Lights are not shielded or shat­terproof over the hot dog case and the deli salad display case.

Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant, East Newport Road, Intercourse, April 19. No violations.

Subway No. 22565, 240 Manor Ave., Millersville, April 18. Food employees eating in food prep area. In-use knives and bread cutters stored between condiment bottles and bin, an area not easily cleanable and sanitized. Static dust in the white exhaust grid of the walk-in cool­er. A black residue inside soda nozzles. The tomato slicer had food residue and was not clean to sight and touch. No certifica­tion posted. Employee doesn’t know if anyone is certified.

Sunrise Bakery, 905 Smyrna Road, Kinzers, April 13. Dogs inside bakery area.

Sweet Annie Produce, 760 Poplar St., April 21. No viola­tions.

Tulip Tree Hill Farm, 2 W. Grant St., April 21. No violations.

Warwick Senior High School, 301 W. Orange St., Lititz, April 15. Data plate on hot water sanitizing dishwasher indi­cates a minimum wash tempera­ture of 160 F while gauge indi­cated 154 F during wash cycle.

Wonders Custom Meats, 1330 Bair Road, Bainbridge, April 15. Raw wood beam at ceiling is not smooth and easily cleanable. Cracks and expan­sion joints in concrete floor are not easily cleanable. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentra­tion.

Zimmerman’s Grocery, 3601 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, April 19. No violations.