CINCINNATI — Greater Cincinnati health inspectors cited more than 1,400 local restaurants for violating rules relating to food temperatures in the second half of last year.
One of them, Game On Bar & Grill in Green Township, invested in new technology to help it solve the problem.
“It’s called a Govee,” General Manager Hunter Hampton said while pointing to one of several new sensors in his kitchen refrigeration units. “Basically, it’ll record the temperature and keep a log. Anything comes out of temp, you get a notification. And it’ll also track if it’s a one-time thing or if it’s been that way for a long time.”
Restaurateurs are always looking for ways to steer clear of the “danger zone,” that range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees in which food is most susceptible to bacterial infection.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness each year, causing 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. In a study of cases associated with restaurants, the CDC revealed last May that 10% were caused by improper cooling of hot food, while 6% of cases came from improper amounts of time and temperature applied in the cooking process.
“Overall, the safety of restaurants is good,” said Larry Lynch, senior vice president for health, safety and regulatory services at the National Restaurant Association. “I mean, it’s probably one of the most regulated industries in the country.”
However, employee turnover and other industry woes have made it harder for restaurants to safely handle raw foods with time and temperature controls required by federal standards.
“So many new people have come into the industry who don’t have that experience and understanding of the time and temperature,” Lynch said. “That’s where the training becomes such a critical part of the process of onboarding new employees.”
It looks like Greater Cincinnati restaurants are rising to the challenge, based on the WCPO 9 I-Team’s analysis of restaurant violations before and after the pandemic. In 2019, more than 37% of local restaurants had at least one citation related to food temperatures. That number dropped to 24% in the first half of 2023 and 23% in the last six months.
“I think it’s vital to our business,” Hampton said. “If you’re putting out food that makes people sick, I think it hurts us and it hurts restaurants around us.”
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Local restaurant industry veteran Kevin Geers has learned several tricks for avoiding the danger zone while preparing raw food.
“Most places that deal with a lot of raw product need to have some sort of thermometer around,” said Geers, owner of Angilo’s Pizza in Sayler Park. “With this, you can actually test the temperature of products as you’re prepping them.”
Geers, whose career has included previous stints with LaRosa’s Inc. and Incline Public House, said kitchens should prepare raw food in small batches — just in case they’re distracted while the food sits at room temperature.
“The phone starts ringing, customers are coming in and orders are coming up. All of a sudden, that chicken goes from sitting out for 15 minutes to an hour, an hour plus. And that’s going to cause some problems,” Geers said.
Food temperature violations played a role in nine of the 27 restaurant closures that followed bad inspections in Greater Cincinnati in the second half of 2023. The following list came from local health departments, inspection records and interviews when restaurant owners and managers could be reached for comment:
HAMILTON COUNTY
- Little Caesars, 5500 Harrison Road: Refrigeration problems in June led to “keeping food items in large walk-in and only using prep cooler with ice when prepping pizzas.” It took until July 12 and a three-day closure for inspectors to clear the store with no violations.
- Asian Spice, 3474 North Bend Road: After repeated critical violations for roaches and cold food stored at improper temperatures, the restaurant closed for three days starting Aug. 22. It had seven violations since then, none for food temperatures.
- Chapimex Mexican Restaurant & Grill, 8254 Alexandria Pike: Restaurant closed for several hours on Aug. 24 when inspectors found “sewage surfacing from floor drain in kitchen grill/fryer area.” The next day, 30 pounds of food were voluntarily destroyed for too-high temperatures in a prep cooler.
- Red Squirrel, 8227 Colerain Ave: After two months of repeat violations for drain flies, cleanliness and food storage temperatures, the restaurant voluntarily closed for three days in September. On Sept. 8, inspectors documented: “Main prep cooler had thermostat replaced.”
- Game On Bar & Grill, 5880 Cheviot Road: After repeat violations for food temperature problems, the restaurant closed for three days ending Sept. 10. Temperature violations continued in October and December.
- Perkins, 7108 Hamilton Ave: After four months of repeat violations for roaches and three citations for improper food temperatures, the restaurant closed for three days ending Oct. 26. It had two violations in its most recent inspection Jan. 11, but not for insects or temperatures.
- Poppy’s Tavern, 5510 Rybolt Road: After two inspections totaling 24 violations in less than a month, the restaurant voluntarily closed for three days ending Oct. 12. It has since closed for renovations and will re-open in the spring, according to owner John Anevski.
- La Antigua Grill, 1661 Kemper Road: After repeat violations for roaches, the restaurant voluntarily closed for three days ending Aug. 24. Inspectors found “a live cockroach and multiple dead ones” on Dec. 28 but none in a Jan. 10 inspection.
- Bangkok Terrace, 4858 Hunt Road: A three-day suspension followed an Oct. 18 visit where inspectors documented “weevils in jasmine rice” and “cold foods not being held at the proper temperature.” It passed inspection with no violations Oct. 31.
- Anderson Tap House, 7480 Beechmont Ave: After a Sept. 14 complaint about fruit flies and roaches, inspectors found pest problems in five subsequent visits through Dec. 20, leading to a three-day closure. There were no violations on its most recent inspection Jan. 11.
BUTLER COUNTY
- Tea Cha House (Panda Garden), Oxford: Butler County’s health department threatened closure in November, following four inspections with 45 violations in September and October. Food temperature violations and pest problems were the most serious violations. The restaurant passed inspection Nov. 16.
- Swagat India House, 9104 Cox Road: On Aug. 1, inspectors documented that the restaurant “voluntarily closed for two weeks for pest control and cleaning.” Roaches returned in November and December. A friend of the family said the owner passed away Jan. 21. The family is trying to decide whether to keep the restaurant open.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY
- Dragon City, 4960 Houston Road, Florence: The restaurant was ordered to close on July 12 for an inspection score below 60. Violations included temperature violations on food in storage and mold on ginger root. It passed with a score of 98 on July 14.
- Queen of Tacos, 10134 Old Union Road, Union: Its license was suspended July 6 for using a food truck as “a non-permitted kitchen.” Cooked beans, meats and vegetables were improperly “cooled on food truck,” inspectors wrote. The food was quarantined and destroyed.
- El Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, 9925 Beberich Drive, Florence: A one-day suspension was ordered June 27 when inspectors found “sewage surfacing from 2-floor drains in kitchen.” Permit re-instated after a visit from Roto-Rooter.
- Grammy’s Sweet Shop Café, 714 Main Street, Covington: Permanently closed after inspectors documented “roach infestation throughout the establishment” on Sept. 19.
- Tom and Chee, 1 Levee Way, Newport: The restaurant closed for several hours on Dec. 27 when inspectors found an overflowing grease trap that caused “wastewater to puddle on back kitchen flooring.”
- Waffle House #851, 64 Broadway, Dry Ridge: A closure order was issued Nov. 14 when Northern Kentucky inspectors “observed all life stages of roaches” in the restaurant’s “kitchen prep table … under ice bin, kitchen floor, dry storage floor and dining hall floor.” Later passed inspection on Nov. 30.
The following information was provided by the Cincinnati Health Department:
- Blue Gibbon, 1231 Tennessee Ave: The restaurant closed due to roach activity
- Shaan India, 3880 Paxton Ave: The restaurant closed due to roach activity
- China Gourmet, 3340 Erie Ave: Roach activity in the restaurant
- Rosewood, 3036 Madison Rd: Roach activity in the restaurant
- Darou Salam Restaurant, 4163 Hamilton Ave: Roach activity, lack of cleanliness
- Deme Kitchen, 627 Main Street: Lack of cleanliness
- Knockback Nats, 10 W 7th Street: Lack of cleanliness
- Young's Kitchen, 2042 Beechmont Ave: Roaches, lack of cleanliness
- Latin House, 823 Main Street: Currently closed after roach activity, lack of cleanliness
