Raw sewage, rodents, flies: Lexington restaurant health department inspection scores
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has released an updated list of 70 or so restaurants that are under enhanced regulatory enforcement. That’s up from the 66 establishments on the list in October.
Since October, 26 food service establishments have been added to the health department’s list for heightened scrutiny designed to protect the dining public from food-borne illness.
Restaurants come off the list once they have twice passed inspections with no significant issues.
At least 20 establishments came off the list after successful passing repeated inspections.
Restaurants that came off the watch list since October include Ali Baba, Azur, Beaumont Shell & Deli, Cracker Barrel on Elkhorn, Crumbl Cookies, El Antojito, El Patio, Marathon at 275 New Circle Rd., Mimi’s Southern Style Cooking, Minit Mart on Versailles, Missy’s Pie Shop, Naz Three BP, Nefertiti, Nuhealth Johnson Center, Sabor Latino Pupusas, Sir Pizza Commissary, Speedway on Tates Creek Rd., Storming Crab, Swift 1 on August Dr and Wing Zone.
Two other restaurants closed and have been removed from the list: Graze and Ranada’s Kitchen.
All of Lexington’s nearly 1,500 food service establishments, from daycares to hospitals to grocery stores to restaurants, are inspected at least twice a year and most pass without significant problems. Last year, hundreds scored a perfect 100, many more than once.
Restaurants and food service establishments are required to post their most recent scores at the front door. All inspection scores are available online at the Lexington health department’s web site; however, due to a software issue the health department has not been able to update its online database since September 2021. The scores in the story are the latest available online.
How Lexington restaurants are inspected
After a pause at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department in 2021 resumed the key public health measure.
Restaurant inspectors place restaurants that fail on critical points on a watch list. The “enhanced regulatory enforcement” comes with a stepped-up inspection schedule designed to catch potential problems earlier.
The measure, previously known as the probation list, restarted in August 2020. The Board of Health voted in September 2021 to update food service regulations to formally include the program.
Restaurants are placed on the list when they score below 85, “failed” a significant inspection point or if they are required to be closed due to imminent health hazard such as raw sewage, evidence of rodent or insect infestations or a lack of electricity.
Problems that constitute a failure are those deemed by the Food & Drug Administration to have the highest potential to affect the public health adversely, such as a improper food handling, lack of hand-washing or improper dish sanitizing.
Luke Mathis, environmental health team leader, said last year that the intent of enhanced regulatory enforcement is “identifying establishments that are struggling with food safety compliance and providing additional monitoring.”
The hope, he said, is that the more inspectors are there, the quicker they will spot things that need to be changed “and through education help them get into compliance.”
“The overall goal of the program is to improve public safety, sanitary and hygiene practices within these establishments, so the public will feel safe eating out,” said Skip Castleman, Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. “All of our placards are still posted at these establishments, so they have a means of looking to see if a restaurant has passed or failed. With a green placard, they’ve passed; with a red placard, they’ve failed. And they can also look on our web site too, before they go out to eat.”
Typically, food service establishments are inspected every six months. With enhanced enforcement, inspectors come every four months, Mathis said. Restaurants come off the enhanced enforcement when they pass regular inspections without significant issues twice in a row.
Generally, restaurants that are in the enhanced enforcement program are safe to eat at or the health department would have closed them down.
Lexington restaurants shut down by the health department
Two Lexington restaurants, two convenience stores and a daycare were shut down temporarily for violations between Oct. 1 and Feb. 15, according to the health department. All have reopened after being reinspected.
▪ Loudon Square Buffet was closed on Oct. 7, 2021, after multiple violations resulted in an inspection score of 63, according to the health department. A score below 65 results in automatic closure.
▪ Arby’s on South Broadway was closed Oct. 11, 2021, due to the presence of raw sewage, according to the health department.
▪ Winburn Mini Mart was closed Dec. 13, 2021, due to rodent activity, according to the health department.
▪ Dixie Value Mart was closed Jan. 26, due to having no water, according to the health department.
▪ Blessing from God was closed on Dec. 13, 2021, due to rodent activity, according to the health department.
Inspections highlight risk for public health
Inspections are a snapshot of a restaurant or food-service establishment at a particular time but Mathis said the watch list allows inspectors to target places most likely to be a risk for public health.
He said they hope the number of restaurants in the program stays low. In February 2020, before the pandemic, there were 172 restaurants or food service providers on the health department’s list.
Here is the full watch list as of Feb. 15, with details of the 10 most recent inspections that landed restaurants on the list.
Names in bold are new additions to the list. The health department was not able to provide details the Herald-Leader on restaurants placed on the list before December because of staffing limitations. The health department’s online database of restaurant inspections has not been updated since September 2021 so additional inspection scores were not available.
Restaurants on Lexington Health Department watch list (formerly probation)
▪ #1 China Buffet, 125 E. Reynolds Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 7, 2021. Inspection on Sept. 21, 2021, scored 96.
▪ Arby’s, 1228 S. Broadway, was placed on the list Oct. 11, 2021, after an inspection found raw sewage. The restaurant was temporarily closed but is now reopened.
▪ Asian Bistro, 4224 Saron Dr., was placed on the list after scoring 82 on a Jan. 13, 2022, inspection that found food stored in soiled cardboard boxes in coolers, raw meat improperly stored, food not properly date marked, food improperly stored (noodles by the handsink), food handler cards not provided for all staff on duty, dirty surfaces and other issues.
▪ Asian Wind Restaurant, 3735 Palomar Center Dr. Suite 40, was placed on the list after scoring 82 on a Jan. 21, 2022, inspection that found raw meat improperly stored, cooked rice improperly stored, food improperly stored, ice machine unclean, microwave unclean, among other issues.
▪ Bandido Taqueria Mexicana, 535 S. Upper St., was placed on the list on June 10, 2021. Inspection on June 25, 2021, scored 97.
▪ Blessing From God daycare, 1202-A Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Dec. 13, 2021. Temporarily closed in December but now reopened.
▪ Bluegrass Catering, 903 Manchester St., was placed on the list on June 15, 2021. Inspection on Aug. 3, 2021, scored 93.
▪ Bluegrass Ky Nutrition, 719 Allendale Dr., was placed on the list on Aug. 14, 2020. Inspection on Sept. 7, 2021, scored 99.
▪ Bombay Palace, 1801 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list on March 24, 2021. Latest inspection on Aug. 20, 2021, scored 97.
▪ Buffalo Wild Wings, 3094 Old Todds Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 23, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 23, 2021, was 93.
▪ Cajun Oasis, 3473 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list March 15, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 20, 2021 was 94.
▪ Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe, 2901 Richmond Rd., was placed on the list July 30, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 13, 2021, was 96.
▪ Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, 2050 Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Feb. 25, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 7, 2021, was 97.
▪ Cattle Drive, 4561 Iron Works Pike, was placed on the list May 19, 2021. Inspection score on June 8, 2021, was 99.
▪ China King, 1497 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list after 84 on a Feb. 10, 2022, inspection that found food improperly stored, chicken and shrimp stored at improper temperatures, no date-marking on ready-to-eat food, microwave unclean and other issues.
▪ Chocolate Holler, 400 Old Vine St. Suite 104, was placed on the list after scoring 98 on a Dec. 14, 2021, inspection that noted the presence of insects (drain flies.)
▪ Cinco de Mayo of Lexington 2, 3031 Richmond Rd., was placed on the list Aug. 25, 2020. Inspection score on Aug. 17, 2021, was 94.
▪ Clarion Hotel, 1950 Newtown Pike, was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 2021.
▪ Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, 1419Versailles Rd., was placed on the list on Feb. 8, 2022.
▪ Common Grounds, 4772 Hartland Parkway, was placed on the list on Feb. 26, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 24, 2021, was 95.
▪ Crossroads IGA, 1803 Georgetown Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 30, 2020. Inspection score on Aug. 6, 2021, was 96.
▪ Dairy Queen, 464 W. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 9, 2020. Inspection score on Sept. 9, 2021 was 96.
▪ Dairy Queen, 350 Virginia Ave., was placed on the list on Jan. 11, 2021. Inspection score on June 3, 2021, was 93.
▪ Dixie Value Mart, 1875 August Dr., was placed on the list May 13, 2021. Temporarily closed in January but now reopened.
▪ Dollar Tree, 3101 Clays Mill Rd., was placed on the list Dec. 27, 2021.
▪ El Gran Tako #2, 1801 Alexandria Dr. #156, was placed on the list Nov. 8, 2021.
▪ El Taquero, 1395 W. Main St., was placed on the list after scoring 79 on a Jan. 14, 2022, inspection that found no food manager on duty, employees not required to report illness, raw meat improperly stored, Raid ant and roach spray observed in the establishment, food handler cards not provided, improper sanitizing of dishes, employee items not stored properly and mice droppings observed in kitchen area, among other issues.
▪ El Toro Restaurant, 1917 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list Oct. 4, 2021.
▪ Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2100 Hackney Place, was placed on the list on June 21, 2021. Inspection score on July 12, 2021, was 98.
▪ Frank’s Donuts, 549 E. Third St., was placed on the list Nov. 3, 2021.
▪ Garden Springs Market, 2034 Garden Springs Dr., was placed on the list Feb. 10, 2022.
▪ Grand Reserve, 903 Manchester St. Suite 190, was placed on the list Dec. 7, 2021.
▪ Hibachi Buffet, 180 E. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list after scoring 70 on a Dec. 6, 2021, inspection that found food in the hand sink, cabbage contaminated by raw chicken, raw meat improperly stored, food improperly stored, sushi not cold enough, multiple hot items including crab meat, chicken and fried fish not hot enough, standing water on the floor and other issues.
▪ Idle Hour Country Club, 1815 Richmond Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 21, 2021, was 80.
▪ Jalapeno’s Restaurant, 1030 S. Broadway, was placed on the list Sept. 3, 2020. Inspection score on Sept. 21, 2021 was 77.
▪ Jason’s Deli, 134 Malabu Dr., was placed on the list after scoring 82 a Feb. 9, 2022, inspection found dishes improperly sanitized, food not kept cold enough, lack of food handler cards, dirty surfaces of equipment, leak under sink, employee clothing/possessions not stored properly and a live roach was observed behind the prep cooler, among other issues.
▪ Kentucky Fried Chicken, 2401 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 4, 2021.
▪ La Cabana, 1414 Bryan Ave., was placed on the list April 19, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 22, 2021, was 95.
▪ La Reference Restaurant, 2396 Woodhill Dr., was placed on the list on March 11, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 22, 2021, was 96.
▪ La Taquisa, 130 W. Tiverton Way #190, was placed on the list Oct. 25, 2021.
▪ Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, 1800 Newtown Pike, was placed on the list Dec. 3, 2021.
▪ Little Caesar’s Pizza, 135 E. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list Sept. 2, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 22, 2021, was 96.
▪ Logan’s Roadhouse, 1908 Pavilion Way, was placed on the list Oct. 7, 2021.
▪ Longhorn Steak House, 2217 Harrodsburg Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 18, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 25, 2021, was 96.
▪ Loudon Square Buffet, 801 N. Broadway, was placed on the list on June 2, 2021. Inspection score on July 19, 2021, was 94. Temporarily closed in October but it has reopened.
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▪ Minit Mart, 2297 Thunderstick Dr., was placed on the list on June 9, 2021. Inspection score on June 16, 2021, was 98.
▪ New Creation Childcare, 1037 Industry Rd., was placed on the list on May 24, 2021. Inspection score on June 9, 2021, was 97.
▪ Pan Casero Remys, 1426 Village Dr., was placed on the list Sept. 23, 2021.
▪ Panaderia Aguacalientes, 1400 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list on Aug. 21, 2020. Inspection score on Sept. 7, 2021, on 97.
▪ Panda Cuisine, 2358 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Aug. 18, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 1, 2021 was 96.
▪ Panda Garden, 3401 Southland Dr., was placed on the list on Aug. 14, 2020.
▪ Papa John’s Pizza, 3735 Harrodsburg Rd., #240, was placed on the list after scoring 79 on a Dec. 10, 2021, inspection that found no certified food manager present, employee food and personal items improperly stored on food prep surfaces, no soap at hand sink, food not date-marked, improperly sanitized items; no hair restraints where required, foil liners for food wrapping stored in bathroom, surfaces dirty, among other issues.
▪ Papi’s Mexican Restaurant & Bar, 818 Euclid Ave., was placed on the list on April 14, 2021. Inspection score on Sept. 17, 2021 was 96.
▪ Papi’s Rapido, 1214 S. Broadway, was placed on the list on Nov. 20, 2020. Inspection score on July 20, 2021, was 94.
▪ Penn Station, 3090 Todds Rd., was placed on the list on Nov. 4, 2020. Inspection score on July 30, 2021, was 92.
▪ Sakura Japanese, 3695 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 28, 2020. Inspection score on Aug. 19, 2021, on 94.
▪ Santa Fe Taqueria, 2350 Woodhill Dr., was placed on the list on June 21, 2021. Inspection score on July 9, 2021, 93.
▪ Subway, 4101 Tates Creek Center Dr., was placed on the list Oct. 28, 2021.
▪ Subway, 4218 Saron Dr., was placed on the list Oct. 29, 2021.
▪ Super Mercado Aguacalientes, 459 W. New Circle, was placed on the list on Dec. 29, 2021.
▪ Super Mercado Aguacalientes, 2341 Woodhill Dr., was placed on the list on April 26, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 20, 2021, was 93.
▪ Super Mercado Aquacalientes, 2220 Nicholasville Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 20, 2020. Inspection score on Sept. 23, 2021, was 92.
▪ Super Mercado Aguascalientes, 1424 Alexandria Dr., was placed on the list on Nov. 11, 2020. Inspection score on Sept. 14, 2021, was 96.
▪ Sushi Blue, 185 Pasadena Dr., was placed on the list after scoring 81 on a Dec. 9, 2021, inspection that found employees washing hands in the three-compartment sink, no soap at hand sink, improper sanitizing on sushi prep table, sushi stored too warm, knife wiped in sanitizer then used to cut sushi, gloves not changed when switching tasks, among other issues.
▪ Taco Bell, 1935 Plaudit Place, was placed on the list on July 30, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 13, 2021, was 97.
▪ Taj India Indian Restaurant, 154 Patchen Dr., was placed on the list on Oct. 16, 2020. Inspection score on June 2, 2021, was 90.
▪ Tandoor Indian, 3146 Maple Leaf Dr., was placed on the list on April 16, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 20, 2021, was 97.
▪ Taqueria San Marcos, 1858 Oxford Circle, was placed on the list after scoring 84 a Dec. 14 inspection that found improper sanitizing, rice kept two warm, chicken sitting out on counter for cooling, among other issues.
▪ Tylor Asian Market, 1555 E. New Circle Rd., was placed on the list June 7, 2021.
▪ Unique Food Mart, 1396 Leestown Rd., was placed on the list on Oct. 21, 2020. Inspection score on July 14, 2021, was 98.
▪ Walgreens, 101 E. Reynolds Rd., was placed on the list on Sept. 10, 2021.
▪ Winburn Mini Mart, 1116 Winburn Dr., was placed on the list on Aug. 16, 2021. Inspection score on Aug. 27, 2021, was 98. Temporarily closed in December but now reopened.
▪ Yu Yu Asian Market, 393 Waller Ave., was placed on the list on April 20, 2021.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 11:32 AM.
