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The Danbury Mall, popular for having both fast-food and full-service eateries, also happens to house half of all town restaurants that failed to pass recent health inspections.
Eight Danbury restaurants failed one health inspection in the first three months of this year. Four are located inside the Danbury Mall: Brio Tuscan Grille, the Cheesecake Factory, Kusulyn Restaurant, and Little Tokyo. Food prepared, stored, served or transported at unsafe temperatures was the most common severe violation, and caused most of the inspection failures, according to Danbury’s latest food report.
When issuing a grade, inspectors are especially wary of issues that can cause foodborne illness.
“We want restaurant staff to see their health inspector as a partner that is helping to keep their customers from becoming ill,” said Lisa Michelle Morrissey, Danbury’s director of health.
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Even if all goes well during a routine inspection, one severe violation, like unclean hand-washing sinks, can automatically result in a failing grade. But low-level violations can also add up and significantly reduce a food establishment’s grade. Restaurants must score above 80 on a scale of 100 to pass inspection, according to Connecticut’s Public Health Code.
“Our staff spend a lot of time educating on how to improve food safety overall, not just when the inspector drops by,” Morrissey said. “Many food service establishments treat their food inspection as if it were a stamp of approval from the health department, when in fact we’re viewing and evaluating a snapshot of their overall food safety practices.”
Elmer’s Diner on Padanaram Road had the lowest score in Danbury, with a grade of 70. On January 25, inspectors found potentially hazardous food that didn’t meet temperature requirements, and food that wasn’t properly thawed and protected, among 16 other violations. The manager was unavailable for comment.
On February 14, at Chili’s Grill Bar on Newtown Road, inspectors documented 29 violations and repeatedly found food containers stored off the floor, according to its health inspection report. The restaurant received a failing score of 77.
These are some of the common reasons restaurants get cited and/or shut down by local health departments.
Media: Video Gopher
As of May 10, The Danbury health and human services department has yet to indicate whether or not these restaurants were re-inspected in the quarter. Restaurant managers didn’t respond to request for comment.
Scroll through the slideshow above to see the worst food restaurant inspections in Danbury.
Article source: http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Danbury-restaurants-with-worst-health-inspection-11135996.php