State College Five Guys closes due to health code violation, will receive citation
Five Guys Burgers and Fries at 226 W. College Ave. in State College is closed due to a health code violation.
According to documents obtained from State College Borough Health Department, the department received an anonymous complaint on Tuesday that the restaurant did not have hot water available to provide proper sanitation.
The hand-washing sinks in the food preparation and dish-washing area did not have sufficient hot water, according to health technician’s Brian O’Donnell report. A sink in the food preparation area had been removed and not replaced. Hand-washing stations’ hot water measured 92 degrees, not the 100 degrees required for “proper hand-washing,” the report said.
In addition, the report said, the manual ware-washing station temperature measured 92 degrees Fahrenheit, “not sufficient for proper manual ware-washing, which requires a hot water temperature of 110 degrees F.”
After talking with Five Guys manager Mike Rhoads, O’Donnell found that Five Guys had been experiencing intermittent hot water since the middle of January. They contacted a plumber, and a replacement tank-less hot water heater was installed in February, according to the report.
Two weeks later, the unit started leaking and lost hot water. Management contacted another plumber, and another unit was installed about 10 days ago, according to the report, but continued to provide insufficient hot water.
Five Guys may not re-open until all the violations have been corrected “and hot water is in compliance, has been restored, and a re-inspection has been conducted,” said O’Donnell’s report.
The business owes a $150 fine for the violations, and all further inspections will cost $200. It will also receive a citation for failing to notify the borough’s health department of “the imminent health hazard” caused by insufficient hot water.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 5:13 PM.
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