The Inquirer's New City-Restaurant Inspection Database is a Rabbit (Mouse?) Hole That Will Consume Your Day

The Inquirer has put together a beautifully designed searchable database of city restaurant inspections. It’s one of those things that requires a serious internal discussion about whether or not you want to look, because only bad things can come of this.

I looked.

Most restaurants, even the chef-based fancy ones, have some minor violation(s) – a missing sign here, obstructed sink there – but they are typically of the unavoidable, inconsequential variety. And surprisingly, many places that you’d think would have gross violations have fairly decent records (Jim reports that the “dingy ass Mexican takeout place on my corner has zero violations”). Most of the concessions at CBP, for example, got relatively high marks.

There were some exceptions.

Old City Creamery, behind 204:

Mouse feces were observed inside stainless steel food pans.- Unknown clear round balls were observed in the ice bin in front service area.

Ditto for the Wells Fargo Center, which had many small violations – slightly higher than required temperature in refrigerators, no hot water at handwash sinks, etc. – and then some larger ones. Mostly the poops of mice.

P.J. Whelihan’s, from April, 2013:

At time of inspection fresh mice feces was observed on shelving. Eliminate mice. Clean and sanitize shelves.

That problem appears to have been corrected in a follow-up two weeks later.

A concession stand behind section 207, also from April, 2013:

Dirty oil observed in fryer

Pizza behind 102, also from April, 2013:

Green compost bag was on interior of ice machine, on top of ice. Management initiated immediate corrective action and emptied ice machine. Corrected On-Site.

At Lincoln Financial Field– lottsomice.

From what appears to be the club level in a 2012 report:

Fresh mouse droppings observed on counter in retail srevice area. Clean and sanitize prior to opening. Note: management initiate immediate corrective action by calling crew members to area to address the violation.

Behind section 109 on December 1, 2013 (just in time for Snow Bowl!):

Food employee did not follow proper handwash procedures. Food employee did not wash hands between changing tasks.

Handwashing sink in food prep area has a severe leak and employees are using handwashing sink in adjacent room.

Personal items stored in food prep area. (phones etc)

Slicer has an accumulation of food residue on the food contact surfaces and is not being washed, rinsed and sanitized at least every 4 hours.

Rinse compartment water was greasy.

No temperature log for sandwiches. Sandwiches temperature was 47F. No proper cold holding facility.

Mouse droppings in food prep area and on floor. (area was sanitized during time of inspection)

Food employees observed not wearing or wearing ineffective hair restraints, such as nets, hats, or beard restraints. (in rear food prep area)

Defective equipment (warmers)

Food facility lacks sanitizer test strips to monitor sanitizer concentration.

Floors need cleaning in food prep area.

Those problems were all corrected by a follow-up two weeks later. Merry Christmas.

Section 212, also on December 1, 2013:

Visible physical evidence of rodent(mouse) activity observed in the front counter area.-Mouse droppings observed in front counter area.

The mice were gone during an inspection a few weeks later.

Club level from August, 2012:

Fresh mouse feces observed on counter. Clean and sanitize prior to opening. Management initiated corrective action by calling for someone to complete the task.

Problem was correct by the following December.

There are many more instances of observable mouse droppings. Jim and I tag-teamed the reports. At a point, it all became redundant:

And then there’s Xfinity Live!

Victory Beer Hall, July, 2014:

Drink pitchers stored on a shelf in front of the hand wash sink, in the bar referred to in category 8 above; those pitchers are exposed to splashing

Small flying insects are present in the beverage gun holsters in the small bar and in the Victory bar

Where needed in the Zone 5 bars, clean the beverage gun holsters, especially the ones infested with small flying insects; 2) in the Zone 5 kitchen, dust needs to be removed from the vents of the 4-drawer Continental refrigerator; 3) Victory side station, the compartment under the soda fountain is in need of cleaning; 4) where needed in the large ice machines, remove slime from the metal panels inside the machines

Zone 2, which appears to be the open middle area… is not a good zone:

Soap was not available at the handwash sink in the bar areas.Chikie’s & Pete’s, Melon Lite, Nicks Bar, bar under the big screen

Bottle of water, cups, juice were observed stored in drinking ice at Philips Raw Bar and the bar under the big screen.

Black residue, pink slime observed on the interior of the ice machine bin. Chickie’s & Pete’s, Original Philie

Visible physical evidence of rodent / insect activity observed in the facility.fruit flies) activity observed in the beverage prep/server station area in the kitchen, in all the bar areas.Mouse droppings were observed at the perimeter of floors and under warewashing stations at Chickie’s & Pete’s, Original Philies, Absolute and Melon Lite

Moist wiping cloths observed lying on food contact surfaces and not stored in sanitizing solution. Original Philies, bar under the big screen

Let’s be honest– no one is surprised that there are mice at the stadiums. It’s almost an inevitably. But when the word “fresh” is used to describe the feces on customer-facing surfaces found during random inspections… well, that’s not reassuring. The biggest problem, at least at the stadiums and Xfinity Live!, seems to be a lack of working handwash sinks or hot water.

You can see the whole database here. Find anything crazy? Let us know. But caution: it’s a time drain… that is probably encrusted with some nasty ass slime.

via (@HerPhilly), Technical.ly Philly