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Esplanade cafe shut for flies, dirt and employees who don't know how to handle food safely
By adamg on Sat, 08/25/2018 - 11:38am
A city health inspector ordered the Charles River Bistro, next to the Hatch Shell, shut for health violations that included "flies throughout kitchen/prep/ware washing area" and employees who need some basic food-safety training.
Observed employee washing, rinsing and then using food containers without proper sanitizing and air drying. Ask employee to demonstrate proper ware washing and employee was unable to demonstrate. I provided employee with proper ware washing instructions during inspection. ...
Proof that the food handlers/employees have not been properly trained in food safety and sanitation as it relates to their assigned duties per code by the certified food protection manager. No one could demonstrate knowledge of food safety and sanitation during inspection.
Also, the walls, floors and ceilings had "built up soils and grease."
The bistro can re-open once the problems are fixed and it passes a re-inspection.
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Comments
Place sounds really grungy.
"Proper storage of clean linen
Comments:
Clean linen stored in mop sink"
Why not? It's not like they were using it for anything else.
The place sounds really disgusting! That's more like it!
It's disgusting that the people who run this place, as well as the employees there have gotten away with it for so long.
I wouldn't blame the employees
They are supposed to be trained and supervised.
They were very likely were pressured to do things that they shouldn't do, or were not effectively corrected.
Well...
It sounds like some of both.
Just rename it
How about changing the café to Family Picnic?
Interesting to see things included in inspections
The only good thing about them failing so many items is that it was really interesting to see the level of things that get checked. As someone with food allergies, I was really glad to see that allergy knowledge and certification are part of the inspection.
https://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/health/mfc/history.aspx?arg=RlDmHZUFOOA=
Things I wish I didn't know
I ate there twice this week, Tuesday and Thursday, during a rehearsal and a concert. ;-(
This happened while we were waiting for our food....
... but after we had paid. The employees really are rather clueless... to the point where the woman at the register started closing down the windows, told us to "just wait a minute..." and then the inspector came out and posted a notice on the front of the building.
Did you get your food...
... or your money back?
From looking at the date of the inspection report, this must have happened during the middle of the Landmarks Orchestra concert, or right afterwards. I got my food there before the concert started.
Standards
People are reacting like this place has been revealed as a vile cesspit, but the infractions aren't that serious. Lack of training, drinking out of an open cup in the kitchen, flies in the kitchen, no hairnets, that sort of thing. It describes a level of sanitation typical of 9 out of 10 restaurant kitchens in this area 30 or 40 years ago; now that's probably down to 1 out of 10. That's a good thing, and it's good that this place is being required to improve. At the moment, its standards are only slightly better than those found in most people's homes.
Re hair nets
I don't really care if my hair or my wife's hair or spit contaminates the food we cook for ourselves in our own kitchen, but I'll wager I'm not the only one who might be a little skittish about the same thing happening in a restaurant that is staffed by a rotating cast if dozens.
There are some bad ones there
No soap at hand sinks, refrigerator running at 46F (more than just being a degree or so out of spec), having a dog in the back/kitchen area. I expect everyone to get dinged for certain things on a health inspection, but a couple of these are real glaring ones that set off "sounds like no one here cares" alarm bells.
46 degrees
is pretty warm. I didn't notice that. No soap could be gross misconduct, or they could have run out five minutes before the inspection. I'm not saying these things shouldn't be considered violations. They should certainly be required to fix them. But there is no reason for people who have eaten there recently to start making funeral arrangements.
Sometimes
I go out for a little hair of the dog, but not like that.
It was open last night (Wednesday 8/29)
during the final Esplanade concert. I did not buy anything there this time, though.
It was open last night (Wednesday 8/29)
during the final Esplanade concert. I did not buy anything there this time, though.