Black debris, food residue: Read Centre County’s April restaurant inspections

At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance with health standards following routine safety inspections conducted throughout April.

The county’s lone failed inspection stemmed from cleanliness issues at a coffee shop on Penn State’s campus.

More than 50 other establishments passed inspections in April with few or no violations. They appear alphabetically at the end of this story.

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.

Non-compliant inspections in April

Saxby’s — Smeal School of Business (Penn State), 210 Business Building in University Park — A routine inspection on April 22 found nine violations at this on-campus coffee shop, which also serves smoothies, pastries and sandwiches.

According to a report filed by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture sanitarian Stephanie Eakin, the buildup of black debris was visible around or under the caulking around a dump sink along the front service line. She also spotted accumulated food residue and debris along the bottom exterior ledge of a reach-in freezer, the buildup of static dust atop oven hoods and old food debris beneath a reach-in cooler.

Some broken door hinges on a bakery case violated health codes, the report reads. Another violation came from single-use cups stored directly on the floor of a basement dry storage area, instead of the required 6-plus inches off of the floor.

Some in-use knives were covered with butter and stored on a magnetic knife strip, which is not easily cleanable and sanitized, Eakin wrote, adding they were corrected during her inspection.

The Saxby’s shop was not equipped with required sanitizer strips and chlorine test strips at the time of the inspection. They are used to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration in some appliances, such as sinks and dishwashers.

Eakin observed several employees wearing bracelets or watches on their arms, which violates the health code. She also noted the person in charge at the time of the inspection “did not demonstrate adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility.”

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 April

• Addison Snyder Cinnamon Bun #2 (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Addison Snyder Concessions J-7458 (MFF4), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Addison Snyder Concessions Cinnamon Bun PT478M7 (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Addison Snyder Concessions Fried Vegetables (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Angelo’s Pizzeria, 603 Boal Ave. (P.O. Box 159) in Boalsburg
• B&T’s Smokin Hot Butts BBQ (MFF4), 209 Seventh St. in Snow Shoe
• Bar-Bees Lunch Box (MFF3), 1075 Spruce Road in Clarence
• Bellefonte Elementary School, 100 W. Linn St. in Bellefonte
• Benner Elementary School, 490 Buffalo Run Road in Bellefonte
• Big Bills BBQ (MFF4), 149 Chestnut Road in Snow Shoe
• Boal City Brewing, 281 Old Boalsburg Road in Boalsburg
• Calvary Baptist Church, 150 Harvet Fields Drive in Boalsburg
• Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science & Technology, 540 N. Harrison Road in Pleasant Gap
• CVS Pharmacy #1919, 815 N. Front St. in Philipsburg
• Flo Bros Pizza (MFF3), 325 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte
• Four Rail Farm Store, 625 Sinking Creek Road in Spring Mills
• Gourmet Griddle Company (MFF4), 2086 Barns Lane in Bellefonte
• Happy Wraps, 216 High St. in Bellefonte
• Hilltop Farms, 3796 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte
• Ingrams Market #4, 150 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte
• Kendra Snyder Chicken on a Stick (MFF3), 303 Nilson Road in Bellefonte
• Kendra Snudery Thal Concessions (MFF4), 303 Nilson Road in Bellefonte
• Manny’s Live Performance Space, 101 Hiester St. in State College
• New Hope United Methodist Church (TFS4), 1089 E. College Ave. in Bellefonte
• Nittany Meats, 116 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte
• Panera Bread #9209, 110 Kern Graduate Building in University Park
• Philipsburg Hometown Market, 1323 Walton St. in Philipsburg
• Polish Water Ice, 127 W. Beaver Ave. in State College
• Preston Snyder Concessions Fry (MFF4), 351 Nyna Lane in Bellefonte
• Preston Snyder Concessions Lemonade (MFF3), 351 Nyna Lane in Bellefonte
• Preston Snyder Concessions (MFF3), 351 Nyna Lane in Bellefonte
• Rick Snyder Concessions FF #2 (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Rick Snyder Concessions FF #3 (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Rick Snyder Concessions Lemonade (MFF3), 195 Snyder Brook Lane in Bellefonte
• Shaky Hands Coffee Shop, 106 W. Bishop St. in Bellefonte
• Sheetz #450, 2850 Benner Pike in Bellefonte
• Sheetz #715, 3261 W. College Ave. in State College
• Snyder’s Concessions Funnel Cakes #1-4 (MFF3), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte
• Snyder’s Concessions Pizza #1-3 (MFF3), 2234 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte
• Spring Creek Elementary School, 217 School St. in State College
• Starbucks (Paterno Library), 107 Pattee Library in University Park
• State College High School South, 650 Westerly Parkway in State College
• Sunset Slush Happy Valley #1-3 (MFF3), 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte
• The Hummingbird Room, 4188 Penns Valey Road in Spring Mills
• The Sweet Suite, 119 N. Front St. in Philipsburg
• Tru by Hilton, 143 Leahey Drive in Bellefonte
• Union Grange #325, 200 Chestnut St. in Unionville
• Warren’s Kitchen, 113 E. College Ave. in Pleasant Gap
• Weis Store #187, 170 Buckaroo Lane in Bellefonte

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.

Matt DiSanto

Centre Daily Times

814-231-4616

Matt is a 2022 Penn State graduate. Before arriving at the Centre Daily Times, he served as Onward State’s managing editor and a general assignment reporter at StateCollege.com. Support my work with a digital subscription