Recent Food Safety Inspections in Berks County: What Inspectors Found
State health inspectors regularly visit local food businesses to make sure they are clean, safe, and following proper health guidelines. These visits offer a quick look at how a food business is doing on one specific day. While some local spots had no issues at all, others had minor problems that they fixed right away, and some had more serious concerns that required immediate action. Here is a look at the latest inspection results for food establishments in the area.
Food Businesses with Noted Violations
During recent visits, several locations were found to have one or more violations. Here are the details of what inspectors observed at these businesses:
- Anthony's Trattoria (900 Byram St., Reading): Inspectors found one moderate issue. There was food buildup on the parts of the food slicer that do not touch food. This issue was corrected during the visit.
- Arby's #7601 (700 Crossings Blvd., Elverson): This location had one high-priority, one moderate, and two low-priority issues, along with one other violation. Cold foods in the prep line cooler were too warm, measuring between 46 and 56 degrees instead of the required 41 degrees or lower. This was fixed by moving the food to a walk-in cooler. There was also no thermometer in the prep line cooler. Additionally, staff personal items were stored on clean equipment, mops were not hung up to dry, and the required food safety certificate was not displayed in public view. All of these issues except the certificate were corrected during the inspection.
- Burger King #7166 (1197 Berkshire Blvd., Wyomissing): Inspectors noted three moderate and three low-priority issues. There was a lot of dirt and trash under the drive-thru soda station, and the customer ice chutes had visible residue. The front counter refrigerator lacked a thermometer. Other issues included dirty kitchen shelves, water pooling under the drive-thru soda machine due to disconnected drain pipes, and a slimy floor drain in the drive-thru area.
- Courtyard by Marriott (150 N. Park Rd., Wyomissing): One moderate issue was found. The front handwashing sink was out of paper towels. This was corrected immediately.
- Deep Roots Cafe (20 N. 6th Ave., West Reading): This cafe had one moderate and one low-priority issue. Some prepackaged grab-and-go food items lacked proper labels showing the product name, ingredients, weight, or distributor details. Also, self-service silverware was not displayed with the handles facing out so customers could grab them cleanly. The silverware issue was corrected.
- Folino Estate Vineyard & Winery (340 Old Route 22, Kutztown): Inspectors found one high-priority, one moderate, and two low-priority issues. Several food items on the cookline were too warm at 60 degrees. Staff were told to throw away any food left in the cooler for more than two hours and to stop using the cooler until it is repaired. The prep area ice machine chute had organic buildup, some clean pans still had sticky label residue, and the ceiling tiles above the cooking area were dusty.
- Kenhorst Volunteer Fire Co (411 Kenhorst Blvd., Reading): This facility had four moderate issues and one low-priority issue. There were no chemical test strips to check sanitizer strength. Freshly prepared foods and opened commercial foods held longer than 24 hours were not marked with dates. Additionally, the walk-in cooler fan grates were dusty, and a cutting board was deeply scratched.
- Kpot Korean Bbq & Hot Pot (1665 State Hill Rd. Unit 295, Wyomissing): This business had two high-priority, two moderate, and one low-priority violation. Spring rolls and chicken nuggets were too cold on the hot buffet bar, measuring 126 and 116 degrees instead of the required 135 degrees or higher. The automatic dishwasher also had no chlorine sanitizer in its final rinse cycle. To fix these issues, the restaurant will use strict time limits for hot food and wash dishes by hand in a three-compartment sink until repairs are made. Inspectors also noted a lack of sanitizer test strips, a lack of overall food safety control by the manager, and open employee drinks in the kitchen. The drink issue was corrected.
- Mcdonalds #5155 (6176 Morgantown Rd., Morgantown): This location had one moderate and two low-priority issues. There was buildup on the milkshake and ice machines. Clean dish racks were also found sitting on the floor, and some kitchen staff were not wearing hair or beard nets. All of these issues were corrected during the visit.
- Meraki Manor (1405 Old River Rd., Birdsboro): Inspectors found one moderate, two low-priority, and one other violation. Grease and food debris had built up on the floor under the fryer and stove. An ice scoop was stored in a dirty holder, an employee drink was open in the prep area, and the official food safety certificate was not posted. The ice scoop and employee drink issues were corrected.
- Morgantown Coffee House (4997 Twin Valley Rd. Ste 2, Elverson): This cafe had one high-priority, six moderate, and three low-priority issues. Several foods in a back refrigerator were too warm at 48 degrees. This was corrected. There was also food spilled on the kitchen floor, a lack of food safety knowledge by the person in charge, and undated foods in the refrigerator. The ice machine and walk-in cooler grates had dirt and mold-like buildup. Finally, the handwashing sink was improperly used to hold dirty dishes, ingredient containers were unlabeled, mops were not hung to dry, and an employee was towel-drying clean utensils. The handwashing sink issue was corrected.
- Pizza Hut #37146 (204 Lancaster Ave., Reading): One moderate and three low-priority issues were found. The dishwasher exterior, surrounding walls, and floors had a buildup of grease and dirt. Single-use items were not stored upside down to prevent dust, the vents and shelves were dusty, and mops were not hung up to dry. The issues with the single-use items and mops were corrected.
- Reading Country Club (5311 Perkiomen Ave., Reading): This facility had two moderate and two low-priority issues. There were no sanitizer test strips for the kitchen sinks or dishwasher. Floors under the kitchen shelves were dirty, the walk-in freezer had a heavy buildup of frost, and a kitchen door had a gap at the bottom that could let pests inside. New door sweeps and a new freezer door have been ordered.
- Redner's Market #50 (801 Carsonia Ave., Reading): Two moderate issues were found. Spray bottles of cleaning chemicals in the produce and deli areas did not have labels showing what was inside. Also, the meat room handwashing sink was out of paper towels. Both issues were corrected.
- Sandstone Acres (67 Bowmansville Rd., Mohnton): One moderate issue was found. Freshly cut cantaloupe was stored inside a designated handwashing sink. This was corrected.
- Shillington Social Quarters (38 S. Sterly St., Shillington): This location had two high-priority, one moderate, and one other violation. Raw chicken was stored uncovered and placed directly above potatoes in the refrigerator, creating a cross-contamination risk. The facility also lacked sanitizer test strips and did not have its food safety certificate on display.
- Simply Bold (550 Penn Ave., West Reading): One moderate issue was noted. The business did not have sanitizer test strips available to check cleaning chemical levels.
- Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club - Bar (482 Westley Rd., Mohnton): This bar had two moderate and three low-priority issues. There was no soap at the bar handwashing sink, and paper towel dispensers in the bar and women's restroom were empty. Additionally, soda syrup boxes were stored directly on the floor, clean utensils were left uncovered, and there was no sign reminding employees to wash their hands.
- Subway/Auntie Anne's (1800 Tilden Ridge Dr., Hamburg): One low-priority issue was found. Employees in the food prep area were not wearing proper hair or beard covers. This was corrected.
Establishments with No Violations
The following food businesses were inspected and found to have no health or safety violations:
- Ambu-Bar LLC (208 Beta Cir., Wernersville)
- Candy's Homemade Ice Cream (1085 Pottsville Pike, Shoemakersville)
- Cvs #01769 (906 W. Leesport Rd., Leesport)
- Deitsch Eck Restaurant (87 Penn St., Lenhartsville)
- Fairfield Inn & Suites (21 Meridian Blvd., Wyomissing)
- Katydid Hill (559 Green Valley Rd., Reading)
- Mountain Springs Camping Resort Snackbar (3450 Mountain Rd., Hamburg)
- Northkill Rod & Gun Club (1040 North Kill Ln., Bernville)
- Olivet Blue Mountain Camp (115 Mountain Rd., Hamburg)
- Outback Steakhouse #3919 (2789 Papermill Rd., Wyomissing)
- P & D Gourmet Creations (3211 State Hill Rd., Reading)
- Pop's Malt Shoppe (148 Alex Ct., Kutztown)
- Quality Shoppe (45 Constitution Blvd., Kutztown)
- Renee Gibson (371 Airport Rd., Bethel)
- Sammy's Steaks & Fries #2 (410 Penn Ave., West Reading)
- Sammy's Steaks & Fries #5 (410 Penn Ave., West Reading)