Restaurant Inspections: Silver Diner and Oriental Cafe

From Feb. 22 to March 1, the state health department inspected a few restaurants in the Kingstowne and Rose Hill areas: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries, Oriental Cafe, Great Wall and Silver Diner.

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.

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries
7015 Manchester Blvd #E
Date of inspection: March 1
Critical: 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.
Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee failed to wash his or her hands before engaging in food preparation after entering the facility and then after handling raw hamburger.
Critical (corrected during inspection): When tested, the chlorine-based sanitizing solution was observed to be at a concentration less than what is required for effective sanitization of food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed the hand sinks being used to hold empty container and as a dumping station.
Non-critical: The door gaskets of the following unit(s) is damaged: chest freezer.
Non-critical: The nonfood-contact surface of the following equipment is not corrosion resistant, nonabsorbent, and/or smooth: paper board used to line shelving.
Non-critical: There is no cover to the feminine napkin refuse container in the ladies room stall.

Oriental Cafe
6138 Rose Hill Drive
Date of inspection: March 1
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Food items that are not easily identified by appearance were observed without a label.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Back door must be kept close, unless using screened door.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): The nonfood-contact surface of the following equipment is not corrosion resistant, nonabsorbent, and/or smooth: egg container used to line shelving. Manager discarded during inspection.
Non-critical: Harborage conditions exist: dry storage area.
Non-critical: Food stored on the floor and/or food stored less than 6 inches off the floor: two containers or raw chicken on floor, sauces in walk-in cooler.
Non-critical: Observed that the following are in need of cleaning: walls, shelves, under shelving, inside and outside of equipments.

Great Wall
6575 Frontier Drive
Date of inspection: Feb. 26
No violations were found during the inspection.

Silver Diner
6592 Springfield Mall
Date of inspection: Feb. 26
Critical (corrected during inspection): A food employee was observed eating in the dishmachine area where they may contaminate food, clean equipment, utensils or other items needing protection.
Non-critical: Observed the handsink located close to the dessert cooler in the back kitchen is being used a dumping station.
Non-critical: The door gaskets of the following units are missing or damaged: on walk-in cooler.
Non-critical: A chemical vegetable wash solution is used in the establishment. No test kit is provided to measure the concentration of the chemical in the solution.
Non-critical: Absence of no-smoking signs or international no-smoking signs in non-smoking area.