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HAMDEN — Health department records show three food establishments in town got a “C” rating during health inspections in the last six months, the lowest grade given by the Quinnipiack Valley Health District.
But all three restaurants did well on subsequent reinspections, scoring an “A” grade. An inspector noted cleanup at the restaurant that had received the lowest score was “much better” on the second inspection.
A “C” grade “indicates the establishment is in need of improvements to minimize risks of illness, but there is no immediate threat requiring closure of the establishment,” according to the QVHD’s rating criteria.
Fifteen other food establishments inspected in the same time frame received a “B” grade, which often prompts reinspection, records show. A “B” grade means the establishment is in “acceptable compliance” while an “A” grade means it is in “substantial compliance,” the criteria says.
Inspectors revisited most of the facilities that earned “B” grades, per the records, which show all of them received “A” grades on reinspection..
Asked when health conditions at an eatery become a real point of concern, Lynn Fox, QVHD’s chief of environmental services, said that occurs when establishments receive a “C” grade.
“We focus on those places that need reinspection,” she said. “They know we come back in two weeks. That’s a state code.”
Restaurant: Short staffing posed a challenge
Fox complimented the cleanup at one of the restaurants that received a “C” grade, Hing Wah.
When an inspector visited the site in early April, he found numerous dirty surfaces and uncovered food containers, according to an April 4 inspection report. He also found cans in a dry good container “with apparent rodent droppings on them,” the report says.
It indicates the cans were disposed while the inspector was on site.
Hing Wah scored a 72 out of 100 points on its first inspection, according to the department’s records.
A man who identified himself as Bobby Singh, the restaurant manager, when a reporter called Hing Wah Friday said the business has been getting regular pest control inspections. He suspects a garden near the facility may have caused the problem.
He also said Hing Wah was short-staffed at the time of the inspection and since has hired two new employees.
Singh was out of the country when the inspector visited, he said.
“I like to stay on top of things,” he said.
During an April 18 reinspection, a health department official found all previous violations had been corrected and all surfaces had been cleaned. The restaurant received 95 points out of 100 points and an “A” grade.
“That was a good cleanup,” said Fox.
How scoring works
An establishment receives a “C” grade if it has two or more four-point violations, scores below 80 or has five or more risk factor violations, according to the QVHD.
Four-point violations and risk factor violations most commonly are associated with food-borne illness, said Fox, with four-point violations being more severe.
The scoring system differs from the state code, in which a restaurant fails if it scores below 80 or has a four-point violation, she said.
Hamden has 560 food establishments, according to Fox. The frequency with which the department inspects each depends on the type of establishment, she said.
Class 1 establishments typically serve only prepackaged foods and need the least attention, while Class 4 establishments serve populations highly susceptible to food-borne illness, according to the QVHD.
A Class 4 establishment might be a day care or nursing home, Fox said, adding that the department pays them the most attention.
Two other “C” grades
Thyme & Season, a health food store on Whitney Avenue, received a “C” rating after a Feb. 2 inspection. Though the store earned 90 points, it had two four-point violations, according to the inspection report.
The store received a perfect score of 100 on the Feb. 22 reinspection, when the visiting official noted all violations had been corrected.
One of the Feb. 2 violations was for inadequate temperature control — a cooler was not keeping food cold enough, the report says.
Dante Anastasio, the core operations manager for Thyme & Season, said staff already had scheduled repairs for the cooler when the inspector arrived.
“She came on the day when it was going to get repaired,” he said, adding that the issue was fixed within 24 hours.
The inspector also cited the store for having a cross-connection in a new sink, health department records show
“A food sink cannot be directly connected to the sewage system,” said Fox. “The theory is if the sewage backs up, it’ll back up onto the floor, not into the sink.”
Anastasio said the sink was newly-installed, and a pipe needed to be disconnected. The person who had installed the sink returned the next day and fixed the problem, he said.
Another establishment that received a “C” grade was the White Stone Mini Mart at 144 Arch St., which is part of a gas station. Like Thyme & Season and Hing Wah, it got an “A” on its reinspection.
The mart scored an 82 but had more than five risk factor violations, a Jan. 12 inspection report shows.
One was a four-point violation — the business was cited because both its handwash sinks were blocked, according to the report. Soap and paper towels were missing from the bathroom sink, it says.
On the day of the inspection, staff had been washing items in the handwash sinks, which is why they were blocked, according to a man who identified himself as Max Sultan. Sultan spoke to a reporter who called the business.
“Everything improved,” he said. “We got the ‘A’ (on the second inspection).”
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