Recent health code inspections: 11 found out of compliance in Douglas County

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Nearly a dozen Douglas County organizations failed state health code inspections in recent months.

Since July, 11 establishments in the county were found and continue to be listed as out of compliance with state health codes. That’s significantly different from the state’s reports earlier this year, as no organizations were found out of compliance from March to June. But that was mostly because many businesses were not operating because of the coronavirus pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders, and because the Kansas Department of Agriculture decided to suspend inspections during that time.

Heather Lansdowne, a spokeswoman for the department, told the Journal-World in June that the department had begun virtual routine inspections, some on a voluntary basis. She said at the time some restaurants were interested in participating. During that month, some Douglas County organizations underwent the virtual routine inspections, but none was found out of compliance.

However, the department resumed conducting standard inspections over the summer. Lansdowne said Friday the department is conducting roughly the same number of inspections as it did prior to the pandemic. But she noted only about 70% to 80% are in person, while the rest continue to be conducted virtually with an in-person follow up if necessary.

Now that the state is back to conducting routine inspections, the Journal-World will be reporting the results on a regular basis, looking at inspection results and listing every place either listed out of compliance or with 10 or more code violations. Full reports are available online at agriculture.ks.gov.

There, you can find details about specific violations, which can vary. Noncritical citations include unlabeled products, improperly stored cleaning materials, minor plumbing issues and more. Critical violations include cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, insect and rodent issues, unclean food preparation areas and more.

Some violations may be corrected during the inspection, while others take longer to fix and require follow-up inspections.

All businesses, even those listed out of compliance, met the basic requirements to safely remain open, unless otherwise noted.

With this regular report, the Journal-World tries to provide basic information about food inspections in Douglas County. But because of the sheer volume of inspections, it’s difficult to offer detailed information about each establishment.

Here are Douglas County inspection results for July, August and September:

• Davenport Orchards & Winery, 1394 E. 1900 Road, Eudora, last had a routine inspection on Sept. 25. No violations were listed, but the business is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Jefferson’s, 743 Massachusetts St., last had an inspection because of a complaint on Sept. 25, and eight violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Subway, 318 E. 15th St., Eudora, last had a routine inspection on Sept. 22, and one violation was found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Kwik Shop, 522 Ames St., Baldwin City, last had a follow-up inspection on Sept. 17, and one violation was found. The convenience store is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Allstars, 913 N. Second St., last had an inspection because of a complaint on Sept. 10. No violations were listed, but the club is currently listed as out of compliance.

• The Basil Leaf Cafe, 616 W. Ninth St., last had a routine inspection on Sept. 3, and four violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Archibowls, 125 E. 10th St., last had a routine inspection on Aug. 28, and three violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• El Potro Mexican Cafe, 3333 Iowa St., last had a routine inspection on Aug. 24, and 11 violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Subway, 4000 W. Sixth St., last had a routine inspection on Aug. 23, and two violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• KC Pop Co, 2084 N. 600 Road, Unit C, Baldwin City, last had a remote routine inspection on Aug. 5. No violations were listed, but the business is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Walmart, 3300 Iowa St., last had a remote inspection because of a complaint on July 10. No violations were listed, but the store is currently listed as out of compliance.


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