Rodent activity, dirty floors: Read Centre County’s September restaurant inspections
At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance following routine food safety inspections conducted throughout September.
The county’s lone failed inspection came from a retail food facility at a local livestock auction. There, a routine inspection found signs of potential rodent activity and other problems surrounding cleanliness.
Nearly 60 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 September
Penns Valley Livestock Auction, 2925 Penns Valley Pike in Centre Hall — A Sept. 26 routine inspection at this livestock auction produced four violations that largely surrounded cleanliness. The inspection covered the auction’s retail food facility, which serves some sandwiches, snacks and drinks during auctions on the last Friday of each month.
According to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture sanitarian Stephanie Eakin’s report, the auction facility displayed “evidence of rodent activity” in its freezer storage room. She observed roughly 50 droppings on shelving, behind a freezer and along the perimeter of the walls near the storage room’s entrance. Eakin also identified a “potential rodent harborage area” inside the freezer storage room due to items stored on the floor, such as old rages, pans and debris.
The facility did not have an active pest control program at the time of Eakin’s visit, according to her report.
Elsewhere, Eakin observed single-use, single-service articles stored inside the main entrance door, service counter area and freezer room area or directly on the floor — all of which violates code that requires such items to be stored at least 6 inches above the floor. She also observed equipment and utensils washed and rinsed without the use of required chemical sanitizers, according to the report.
A follow-up inspection on Oct. 9 restored the auction to compliance, according to the commonwealth’s database.
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 September
- American Legion Post #779, 2928 Penns Valley Pike in Centre Hall
- AVI @ Hanover Foods — Centre Hall — Market C, 3000 Penns Valley Pike in Centre Hall
- Bartlebaugh Amusements — French Fry #2 (MFF3), 104 Madisonburg Pike in Madisonburg
- Bartlebaugh Amusements/Rosie’s Cantina (MFF3), 104 Madisonburg Pike in Madisonburg
- Beaver Stadium (TFS4), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Beer & Lemonade — Jay Vending (Beaver Stadium) (TFS3), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Brother’s Pizza, 238 W. Hamilton Ave. in State College
- Buffalo Valley Spice & Supply (TFS3), 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School, 211 N. Hoffer St. in Centre Hall
- China Wok, 1027 N. Front St. in Philipsburg
- Chipotle Mexican Grill #3357, 1850 N. Atherton St. in State College
- Country Inn & Suites, 1357 E. College Ave. in State College
- Country Time Coffee Company, 3585 Penns Valley Road in Spring Mills
- Dollar General #05820, 378 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe
- Domino’s Pizza, 422 N. Front St. in Philipsburg
- Fasta Pasta (MFF3), 157 W. College Ave. in Bellefonte
- Fire Company Club of Millheim (TFS4), 103-105 North St. in Millheim
- Hidden Branch Farm (MFF2), 101 Boal Ave. in Boalsburg
- Howard Elementary School, 255 School Street P.O. Box 406 in Howard
- Jackson M Concessions (TFS3), 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Kinfork, 4657 Brush Valley Road in Madisonburg
- Living Faith Acres, 121 Crater Lane in Spring Mills
- Meddear Food Company (MFF2), 1314 Old Boalsburg Road in State College
- Mount Nittany Club & Suites, 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Mountaintop Elementary School, 100 School Drive in Snow Shoe
- Mya’s Potroast Jamaican Cuisine, 2280 Commercial Blvd. in State College
- Nittany Antique Machinery Association Spring & Fall Show, 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Nuts For You Beaver Stadium (TFS3), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Our Lady of Victory Activity Center, 820 Westerly Parkway in State College
- Packers Concessions #1 Pizza (MFF3), 254 S. Hoffer Ave. in Centre Hall
- Packers Concessions #6 Pizza (MFF3), 254 S. Hoffer Ave. in Centre Hall
- Packers Concessions Fries (MFF3), 623 Homan Road in Centre Hall
- Panera Bread #601201, 148 S. Allen St. in State College
- Panini’s Beaver Stadium (TFS3), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Philipsburg Elementary School, Route 550 on Windy Hill Road in Philipsburg
- Philipsburg-Osceola Area Middle School, 200 Short St. in Philipsburg
- Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School, 502 Philips St. in Philipsburg
- Philly Pretzel Factory Beaver Stadium (TFS3), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Pizza Hut, 2141 S. Atherton St. in State College
- Scoopers Ice Cream Beaver Stadium (TFS2), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Scott’s Roasting Beaver Stadium (TFS3), 169 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Sheetz #715, 3261 W. College Ave. in State College
- Snap Custom Pizza, 132 W. College Ave. in State College
- St. Paul’s Parish Hall (TFS4), 406 Presqueisle St. P.O. Box 170 in Philipsburg
- Subway, 1718 S. Atherton St. in State College
- Tait Farm Foods, 179 Tait Road in Centre Hall
- The Express Casual Dining, 104 E. Wilson St. in Centre Hall
- The Greek, 102 Clinton Ave. in State College
- The Market, 491 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe
- The Overlook Grill, 559 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Centre Hall
- The Press, 113 Hiester St. in State College
- Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 780 Waupelani Drive in State College
- Wasson Farm Ice Cream & Farm Market Stand (MFF3), 2545 Shingletown Road in State College
- Way Fruit Farm, 2355 Halfmoon Valley Road in Port Matilda
- We Are Inn Beaver Stadium (TFS3), 1 Beaver Stadium in University Park
- Weis Markets #118, 501 Centre St. in Philipsburg
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.
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