Lexington restaurant inspections: Pizza place closed, illnesses reported
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department recently temporarily closed a popular pizza and wings restaurant also known for birthday parties.
The health department also received a complaint that 15 people got sick after eating there, resulting in a family member being hospitalized for sepsis.
This was the only food service provider closed between March 15 and April 15, according to the health department.
In the previous month, the health department temporarily closed two food service providers and would have closed a third, but it had already gone out of business.
Restaurant closed by Lexington health department
Food service at Chuck E. Cheese at 1555 New Circle Rd. in Woodhill Plaza was shut down April 9 by the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
The restaurant had scored an 80 on an inspection on March 15, when the inspector noted violations including that there was no certified food manager present; that employees did not demonstrate knowledge of food safety and could not produce a health reporting agreement; employee drink and phone were stored on food preparation surface; improper sanitizing; food not date marked; unlabeled chemical bottled found in restroom hanging within reach of children; chemical bottle stored on food prep surface; employee not wearing hair restraint while opening cheese and putting into shredder; the previous inspection scorecard was not properly displayed visibly for customers; scoops of self-service ice cream were not properly stored; pizza boxes were stored on the floor and waste was not disposed of at a frequency appropriate to prevent accumulation, among other things.
This inspection required a followup, which was done on March 29. Although the inspection resulted in a score of 94, the restaurant was given a notice of enforcement for lack of required certified food manager, according to the health department, and warned that their permit would be suspended if the issues were not corrected by April 5.
The inspector noted the food protection manager had quit; that employee food was stored improperly; cell phone and employee hair restraint stored on food prep surface; hair restraint not worn during food prep, and other violations.
The restaurant was not reinspected until April 9, when it was ordered shut down.
“A follow up inspection was conducted on April 9th due to priority violations cited on the March 29th inspection. The establishment was closed when it was verified that the violations still were out of compliance,” said Luke Mathis, environmental health team leader at the health department, in an email.
The inspector noted no certified food manager present; employee food stored with restaurant food; chemical bottles on food preparation surface and no hair restraint worn during food prep.
The restaurant was ordered to cease operation immediately for lack of food safety management and storage of personal items, according to the health department.
The restaurant manager applied for reinstatement of the permit on April 10, and the permit was reinstated on April 12, when the restaurant scored 100 on an inspection, records show.
Report of food-borne illness
The restaurant was allowed to reopen despite a report of potential food-borne illness that resulted in at least one person being hospitalized.
According to a complaint filed April 10 with the health department, a patron “called to notify us around fifteen people from a party at Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday April 6” had become ill.
“Family had pizza, cheese bread, wings, fries; sent wings back twice because they were ice cold, pizza also sent back for temperature reasons,” according to the complaint. “Everyone they’ve talked to at the party is sick.”
According to the health department’s investigation, they had eaten pizza, wings, cheese bread and fries at the restaurant and became ill on April 7 with vomiting and diarrhea.
One person was hospitalized with sepsis, according to the report.
The complainant did not immediately respond to a request from the Herald-Leader for comment.
According to the health department, the restaurant said chicken wings and pizza are pre-cooked and prepared from frozen, then cooked to order as opposed to ahead of time and then kept hot.
The restaurant was allowed to reopen April 12 after scoring 100 on inspection, according to the health department.
“The priority violations were verified in compliance, and a complete inspection of the establishment was conducted,” Mathis said.
In a statement to Herald-Leader reporting partner WKYT, Chuck E. Cheese said the company is aware of the complaint regarding the April 6 incident.
“On Tuesday, April 9th our location was inspected and failed because our new manager did not have a local health department food handler permit. This was caused by the sudden departure of the former manager of this location, who held the certificate/permit. Our new manager has already passed the exam, received the new permit and we are awaiting a new inspection to complete the paperwork on said certification,” the company said.
How Lexington health department inspections work
The health department inspects every local food service establishment at least every six months; some restaurants are placed on enhanced regulatory enforcement and receive additional inspections. Restaurants also are inspected if the health department receives credible complaints.
When the health department closes a restaurant, a red sign is placed on the door to notify potential customers that food service has been halted. But the health department does not publicize that restaurants have been closed.
In February, the Herald-Leader published an updated list of the 158 restaurants and food service providers that are under enhanced regulatory enforcement, formerly called probation, by the health department.
This story was originally published April 19, 2024 at 10:31 AM.
CORRECTION: Chuck E. Cheese was closed April 9. A previous version of this story had incorrect information about the timeline of the closure.
