Restaurant Inspections: Chinese Restaurant Cited for Using Residential Pesticides

From March 20-25, the state health department inspected a few restaurants in the Kingstowne and Rose Hill areas. For prior restaurant inspection reports, click here.

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation. Inspectors grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

Below, find the latest restaurant inspection from the Virginia Department of Health. These inspections reflect visits from inspectors during the last few weeks. Some of the violations were corrected immediately during the recent inspections.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Latina Pollo A La Brasa

7028 Commerce Street

Date of inspection: March 25

No violations were found during the inspection.

Manila Oriental

7024 Commerce Street

Date of inspection: March 25

• Critical (corrected during inspection): Some food items were found hot holding at improper temperatures using a calibrated food temperature measuring device.
• Critical (corrected during inspection): Some food items were observed cold holding at improper temperatures using a calibrated food temperature measuring device.
• Critical (corrected during inspection): Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is commercially processed is not used or discarded within 24 hours of when the original container was opened and is not observed to be date marked.
• Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is prepared on site is not used or discarded within 24 hours of preparation and was not observed to be date marked.
• Non-critical: The cutting board is heavily scratched and scored. The food contact surface is no longer easily cleaned and sanitized due to condition.
• Non-critical: The nonfood-contact surface of the following equipment is not designed or constructed to be easily cleanable: Bread crates used to elevate boxes of food and single service items in the kitchen.
• Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed that the sign that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not clearly visible.

House of Dynasty

7550 Telegraph Rd

Date of inspection: March 25

• Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee was observed eating in an area other than designated break area while preparing/handling food or contacting clean food contact surfaces.
• Critical (corrected during inspection): The food-contact surfaces of the following equipment were not observed sanitized: cutting board, large containers.
• Critical (corrected during inspection): Pesticides labeled for residential use (insect spray) were observed in the facility and are being applied by the operator to control pests. Spray was discarded during inspection.
• Non-critical (corrected during inspection: First Aid Supplies are not being stored in a kit or container.
• Non-critical: Openings to the exterior of the building are present along the back door.
• Non-critical: Food stored on the floor and/or food stored less than 6 inches off the floor: vegetables, raw meat in walk-in cooler.
• Non-critical: Wet wiping cloths used for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces were observed stored on the counter.
• Non-critical: There is no cover to the feminine napkin refuse container in employee bathroom.
• Non-critical: Employee toilet room door is not provided with a self-closing door.
• Non-critical: Observed that following are in need of cleaning: gaskets, walls, under shelvings, walk-in cooler, floors, and outside of containers.
• Non-critical: Ceiling tiles in dry storage area is absorbent.
• Non-critical (corrected during inspection): The water temperature in the manifold servicing the high temperature warewashing machine was below the minimum allowable level of 165ºF for a stationary rack single temperature machine.

Dairy Queen

6446 Landsdowne Center Dr

Date of inspection: March 22

• Critical (corrected during inspection): One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete. A complete employee health policy is required to be in place at the food establishment.

Starbucks Coffee

8408-A Old Keene Mill Rd

Date of inspection: March 20

• Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Wet wiping cloths used for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces were observed stored on the counter.