Pink slime, soiled floors: Read Centre County’s May restaurant inspections
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Moe’s Southwest Grill failed inspections on April 30 and May 11.
- At Moe’s, inspectors found a pink, slimy substance, soiled floors and more.
- More than 50 other establishments passed routine inspections in May.
At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance with health standards following routine safety inspections conducted throughout May.
The county’s lone failed inspection stemmed from issues with cleanliness and temperature controls at a State College fast-casual Mexican restaurant.
More than 50 other establishments passed inspections in May 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 May
Moe’s Southwest Grill, 211 Patriot Lane in State College — This fast-casual Mexican restaurant failed a follow-up inspection on May 11, which was administered after a routine inspection conducted on April 30. Results from the April inspection, another failure, were not uploaded to the online database in time for the Centre Daily Times’ report last month.
The April 30 inspection resulted in six total violations for Moe’s Southwest Grill, according to State College borough sanitarian Brian O’Donnell. He observed shelving units soiled with food debris and black mold-like substances, as well as a “pink slimy substance” around the door frame of the hot holding cabinet, likely as a result of excessive moisture. Floors in the rear kitchen were also soiled with food debris and oily buildup.
Improper temperature thresholds produced a few violations in April, according to O’Donnell’s report. Cooked steak, for example, was held at 103 degrees Fahrenheit, well below the 135-degree threshold required by health codes. Cheese found held in a “cold hold unit” was also above the 41-degree threshold said to be permissible by code.
O’Donnell returned to Moe’s Southwest Grill for a follow-up inspection on May 11. There, he recorded four violations largely surrounding cleanliness and noted each was a repeat violation for the establishment.
Again, the borough sanitarian found a slimy, pink substance, as well as food debris and black mold-like substances soiling shelving units and hot holding cabinets. Lower walls and floor drains were also found soiled and in need of cleaning, according to the report.
O’Donnell found cut onions were held at 45 degrees, just above the 41-degree threshold said to be permissible under health codes. He noted some knobs on a hot table, for example, were worn and not able to indicate the unit’s set temperature, which could lead to food being held at improper temperatures.
Moe’s Southwest Grill returned to compliance following another follow-up inspection on May 18 that resulted in no violations.
How to file complaints
If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can complain about conditions 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 May
- American Legion Post #893, 401 High St. in Milesburg
- Bellefonte Bread Baker, 167 S. Potter St. in Bellefonte
- Big D’s, 509 Dell St. in Bellefonte
- Boalsburg Fire Co. (TFS3), 113 E. Pine St. in Boalsburg
- Bonnie Blues (MFF4), 181 Forge Road in Bellefonte
- Cafe Luna, 214 N. Main St. in Pleasant Gap
- Captain Dan’s Alaska Salmon (MFF2), 515 Millheim Narrows in Rebersburg
- Chill N Ice (MFF3), 606 E. College Ave. in Bellefonte
- Cogan’s Concessions Sugar Waffles (MFF3), 225 Pike Road in Howard
- Corner Cafe & Grill, 265 Red Rock Lane in Bellefonte
- Dunkin’, 3180 W. College Ave. in State College
- Elixr Coffee, 123 W. Beaver Ave. in State College
- Global Foods Market, 240 W. Hamilton Ave. in State College
- Grams Shaved Ice (MFF3), 225 Pike Road in Howard
- Guiswite’s Mini Flips (MFF3), 400 Benner Road in Bellefonte
- H.R. Stackhouse Training Center, 1150 Spring Creek Road in Bellefonte
- Hibachi San #61, 7 HUB-Robeson Center in University Park
- Kate’s Pretzels (MFF3), 141 Ashmore Lane in Howard
- Kelly’s Steak & Seafood, 316 E. Boal Ave. in Boalsburg
- Laurel Spring Candy, 354 Egg Hill Road in Spring Mills
- Liberty Eats, 2658 Earlystown Road in Centre Hall
- Lupita’s Authentic Mexican Food, 312 W. Beaver Ave. in State College
- M&S Concessions (MFF3), 143 Ayva Lane in Spring Mills
- Marion-Walker Elementary School, 100 School Drive in Hublersburg
- Nama Roasted Peanuts (TFS3), 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Packer’s Concessions #2 (MFF3), 623 Old Fort Road in Centre Hall
- Packer’s Concessions (Pizza) (MFF3), 623 Old Fort Road in Centre Hall
- Panda Express #502, 7 HUB-Robeson Center in University Park
- Panini’s (MFF3), 139 Franklin St. in Bellefonte
- Pappa’s Pies (MFF3), 210 Pepper Ridge Drive in Spring Mills
- Penns Cave, 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Penns Valley Meat Market, 114 E. Main St. in Millheim
- Playa Bowls, 483 E. Calder Way in State College
- Pleasant Gap Elementary School, 230 S. Main St. in Pleasant Gap
- Polecat Hollow Farm (MFF2), 898 Upper Polecat Road in Howard
- Pump Station Cafe, 103 E. Boal Ave. in Boalsburg
- Radio Park Elementary School, 800 W. Cherry Lane in State College
- Rising Spring Meat Company, 119 Cooper St. in Spring Mills
- Shandygaff, 217 E. Calder Way in State College
- Sheetz #562, 106 Savannah Lane in Centre Hall
- Sip & Giggle LLC (MFF3), 2569 Old 220 Road in Howard
- Sizzling Bites, 129 S. Pugh St. in State College
- Snyder’s Concessions (Gyros) (MFF4), 325 Windy Lane in Howard
- Snyder’s Concessions (Sausage) (MFF4), 325 Windy Lane in Howard
- Snyder’s Concessions (Pizza) (MFF4), 325 Windy Lane in Howard
- Sprinks Ice Cream, 122 Dunlop St. in Bellefonte
- Stever’s Concessions (MFF3), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte
- Sunset Ice Cream (TFS3), 222 Penns Cave Road in Centre Hall
- Sushi Yume, 2901 E. College Ave. in State College
- Sweet Tooth Bakery, 120 Miller Alley in State College
- The Koop, 129 Locust Lane in State College
- The Market, 491 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe
- The Phoenix, 11053 N. Eagle Valley Road in Howard
- Trinity United Methodist Church, 128 W. Howard St. in Bellefonte
- We Are Inn, 1535 Port Matilda Highway 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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