In Champaign County, Illinois, a restaurant in Champaign received a red notice, while a hotel in Urbana was given a yellow notice in the latest health inspections by the county.

Cravings

During a follow-up inspection on September 18, Cravings, located at 603 S. Wright St. in Champaign, was issued a red placard due to identifying three risk factor violations, which included some repeated issues.

During last week’s inspection, a pan of raw, non-pasteurized eggs was found to be stored above packages of tofu and a container of cooked shrimp.

Inspectors found two large batches of cooked and cooled fried chicken in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler, held at temperatures of 50-52°F. These were stored in six-inch deep plastic containers, one with a lid and the other partially wrapped with Saran Wrap.

The restaurant’s manager reported that the chicken had been prepared at 9:30 a.m. and noted that the cooling process took more than six hours, with no way to confirm if the chicken’s temperature reached 70°F within the necessary two hours.

Additionally, a batch of cooked and cooled noodles, prepared at 10 a.m., was found at 48°F by 4 p.m. These noodles were also tightly wrapped in Saran Wrap in a six-inch deep container, indicating the cooling exceeded the recommended six-hour limit.

Another concern was a bowl of fried chicken sitting atop a cooler, registering at 113°F. The responsible party stated that the chicken had been left out for “less than an hour.”

And, according to the “partially” submitted food safety plan, the restaurant agreed to use a 30-minute working supply and discard the chicken after 30 minutes had passed. According to the recent food inspection report, it was clear this process was not being followed.

This follow-up inspection came as a result of the previous routine inspection on Sept. 3 in which Cravings received a yellow placard after receiving over 10 violations. During the follow up meeting last Thursday, more repeated violations were cited and the facility failed to provide a completed Food Safety Management plan.

Adequate cooling procedures, training materials and an employee sign-in sheet were not submitted to the inspector before the follow up inspection as well.

On Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m., Cravings was closed, and their health permit was suspended. This means that all of their food handling, preparation and service is stopped at this time. A re-inspection request form was left with the person in charge of the restaurant.

Hotel Royer

Hotel Royer at 201 S. Race St. in Urbana was given a yellow placard after nine risk factor violations and two repeat risk factor violations were discovered in a recent health inspection.

The inspection, which took place on Sept. 24, discovered fettucine noodles that were stored at 49°F inside a prep area two-door cooler. The person in charge told the health inspector that the noodles were outside of refrigeration for about 30 minutes for re-portioning and re-panning. This is the second straight routine inspection that this violation has been documented.

The noodles were then moved to the walk-in cooler to cool to 41°F within two hours, and there was a discussion about implementing a cooling step after preparation.

Additionally, a lidded container of mashed potatoes was found at 57°F inside the line cook’s one-door cooler. The potatoes were prepared at 9 a.m., and the container was moved to the walk-in cooler, uncovered, to complete the cooling process. This item is given four hours to cool to 41°F.

During the same inspection on Sept. 24, the following items were kept for longer than seven days:

• Cooked portobello mushroom sauce (Sept. 8)
• Facility-prepared aioli (Aug. 20)
• Two containers of cream cheese (Sept. 13)
• Ravioli Cheese (Sept. 13)
• Facility-prepared cheese sauce (Sept. 13)

The hand sink at the bar was being used as a dump sink as well, and there was an orange liquid in the basin of the sink.

The bucket used to transport ice was not inverted at Hotel Royer, and there was a factory film substance on the outer surfaces of the ventilation hood above the dish machine and the outer surface of the booster heater. If these two violations, and/or the violation involving the fettucine noodles, are further repeated at the next inspection, it would require the completion of a root cause questionnaire and a plan for long term correction.

You can find the full list of violations here.

Due to the fact that more than 10 violations were cited during this inspection, a yellow placard was posted at Hotel Royer. A follow-up inspection will be conducted in approximately 10 business days to check if all the priority and priority foundation violations have been corrected. The hotel has to complete a VCF form on or before Oct. 8.

To see other restaurant inspections in Champaign County, click here.