Dead roaches, soiled floors: Read Centre County’s November restaurant inspections

At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance following routine food safety inspections conducted throughout November.

The county’s lone failed inspection came from a downtown State College Chinese restaurant. There, an inspection found signs of pest infestation and other problems concerning cleanliness.

Nearly 40 other establishments appear alphabetically in this story after passing inspections with few or no violations.

Information regarding county establishments and their violations appears below in an alphabetical list with a summary of the problems inspectors noted in their respective reports. More details are available upon request by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s online database.

Business owners who wish to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com.

About food safety inspections

Under Pennsylvania law, eating and drinking establishments are inspected at least once per year. Some schools, including the State College Area School District, receive biannual inspections.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture may conduct additional inspections if complaints are received or if initial inspections are not up to code.

Most observed violations are minor in scope and are corrected during inspections, but some establishments may temporarily close if too many violations are found. Closures may occur as a result of other issues, including risks for foodborne illnesses or violations that take time to address, such as broken plumbing or pest infestations.

Most inspections in Centre County are conducted at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities directly conduct their health inspections through certified officials who fall under their jurisdiction. State College, for example, is responsible for performing inspections in the borough and in Ferguson, Patton and College townships, a borough official said.

Once inspections are complete and reports are published, you can browse them online by visiting pafoodsafety.state.pa.us/web/inspection/publicinspectionsearch.aspx. You can look up establishments by name or filter results to specific cities, counties and ZIP codes.

Out-of-compliance inspections in November

Little Szechuan, 228 W. College Ave. in State College — A Nov. 20 routine inspection at this Chinese restaurant produced five violations that largely surrounded cleanliness.

According to State College borough sanitarian Brian O’Donnell’s report, the restaurant held prepared fried chicken at 61 degrees Fahrenheit, far exceeding the 41-degree limit required by code. That food was thrown out during the inspection.

O’Donnell spotted a dead roach on a storage shelf located above meat that was being prepared for food service, according to his report. The shelves were immediately cleaned and sanitized. Other dead roaches were also found in traps.

Additionally, O’Donnell observed torn rubber door gaskets on three doors attached to worktop cooler nits. He also spotted rice, oil and food debris below equipment, shelving and prep tables. The floor of the restaurant’s walk-in cooler under shelving was also soiled with food debris, according to the report.

Non-food contact surfaces were “not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil,” O’Donnell wrote in his report. The sides of some fryer units and kitchen equipment were also soiled with oil build-up.

In his report, O’Donnell noted food debris can attract insects and pests.

Little Szechuan was up for an inspection after officials received a complaint in which a customer claimed they found an insect in takeout food from the restaurant. O’Donnell’s inspection found sufficient evidence of a pest infestation. As of the Nov. 20 inspection, Little Szechuan last received a pest control treatment on Oct. 28 and is scheduled for monthly treatments.

“[The] establishment must be thoroughly cleaned to remove source food for pests,” O’Donnell wrote in his published comments.

How to complain about conditions

If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint to catch officials’ attention.

To notify the commonwealth about questionable conditions anywhere food is served or sold to the public, call 1-866-366-3723 or fill out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s food safety complaint form, available online at pda.pa.gov/FoodSafetyComplaint/. The form asks for consumer information, facility details and a full description of each complaint.

You can also contact the commonwealth’s Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services directly by calling 717-787-4315 or emailing RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov.

Locally, you can report concerns to State College officials by calling 814-234-7100 or emailing healthdept@statecollegepa.us.

These establishments passed inspections in November

• Alloy Kitchen, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

• AVI @ Centre Crest Care – Bellefonte – Market C, 502 E. Howard St. in Bellefonte

• AVI @ Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Nittany Valley, 776 College Ave. in Bellefonte

• Bagel Crust, 225 W. Beaver Ave. in State College

• Bald Eagle Area Junior-Senior High School, 751 S. Eagle Valley Road in Wingate

• Barnes & Noble Cafe #435 and Barney’s Convenience Shop #142, MO10C Hub-Robeson Center in University Park

• Beard Field, Old Park Avenue in University Park

• Bellefonte Senior Resource Center, 502 E. Howard St. Suite 120 in Bellefonte

• Blue and White Pub and Bottleshop, 218 W. Beaver Ave. in State College

• Bonfire Old Fashioned BBQ, 2609 E. College Ave. in State College

• Brothers Pizza, 221 N. Front St. in Philipsburg

• Cafe Wow, Inc., 234 E. College Ave in State College

• Chipotle Mexican Grill #3357, 1850 N. Atherton St. in State College

• Diplomart, 329 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

• Field Hockey Complex (Penn State), Curtin Road in University Park

• Flour and Stone, 125 E. Pine Grove Road in Pine Grove Mills

• Flour Rail Farm Store, 625 Sinking Creek Road in Spring Mills

• Greenberg Performance Dining Facility, 109 Lasch Football Building in University Park

• Heirloom Bakery and Sweets, 105 Olive St. in Snow Shoe

• Hilltop Farm, 3796 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

• HUB Dining, 33 Hub-Robeson Center in University Park

• Laurel Spring Cidery, 354 Egg Hill Road in Spring Mills

• Logan Grange #109 (TFS4), 122 N. Main St. in Pleasant Gap

• Mountaintop Pit Stop, 529 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe

• Nuts For You (Bryce Jordan Center), 720 Curtin Road in University Park

• Nuts For You (Pegula Ice Arena), 250 University Drive in University Park

• Panzer Stadium, University Drive and Dauer Drive in University Park

• Pegula Ice Arena, 250 University Drive in University Park

• Rec Hall, 12 Curtin Road in University Park

• Penn Valley Cafe, 2493 Fox Hill Road in State College

• Pollock Dining Commons, 215 Pollock Commons in University Park

• Sheetz #450, 2850 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

• Stone Meadow Farms (MMF2), 190 Quarry Road in Woodward

• The Brewery, 233 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

• The Buck Stop, 2680 Port Matilda Highway in Philipsburg

• Titan Market, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

• Wingate Elementary School, 751 S. Eagle Valley Road

Note: Occasionally, a listed address — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — is not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments for specific service locations.