Spring Inspections Heat Up: A Mixed Bag for Derby City Dining
The first week of April brought 169 inspections across Louisville, and let's just say some kitchens were caught with their temperatures down. While most restaurants kept their cool, nine establishments found themselves in hot water with Grade C failures — mostly due to the same chilly issue that's been plaguing our dining scene.
LouVUE by the Numbers
This week's inspection breakdown served up:
- Regular inspections: 160
- Follow-up inspections: 7
- Other inspections: 2
A Quick Refresher on How the Grades Work in the Ville
- Grade A (green): A passing grade indicating a generally safe facility. Score of 85–100 with no priority violations — serious issues most likely to cause foodborne illness, such as improper food holding temperatures.
- Grade B (blue): Facility is "under review" while health officials work with them to pass future routine inspections. Issued after failing two routine inspections in a row, or automatically during a follow-up inspection if the facility had to close because of an imminent health hazard (regardless of prior grades). Patrons should be mindful.
- Grade C (red): Facility has failed its inspection. Issued for any of these reasons: (1) one or more priority violations, such as poor hygienic practices, lack of hot/cold water, or improper sanitizing — even with a score as high as 98; (2) score below 85 due to a high number of non-priority violations; or (3) an imminent health hazard requiring closure (e.g., infestation, loss of electricity or water). These are serious and require a follow-up within 7–10 days.
- Priority violations: High risk for foodborne illness. Even one is enough to drop a place to a C.
Second Servings: Follow-Up Success Stories
Great news on the follow-up front! All seven establishments that received second chances this week passed with flying colors. Hungry Pelican, Speedway #9685, Ramiro's - Mr. Sancho #2, Logan's Treehouse, and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen #2142 all bounced back with perfect 100s, while Aji Sushi & Asian Cuisine earned a solid 97. These turnarounds show what happens when restaurants take food safety seriously and make the necessary corrections.
Cautionary Cuisine: Temperature Troubles Dominate
Unfortunately, nine spots earned Grade C ratings this week, with cold holding temperatures being the primary culprit:
Gore's Smokeout BBQ faced a double whammy: raw meats sitting above 60°F (dangerous bacteria growth territory) and a complete water pump failure that shut down operations mid-inspection.
Back Deck BBQ on West Kenwood had potato salad and coleslaw lounging at a risky 52°F in their walk-in cooler — both items were tossed.
Pendennis Club on Muhammad Ali Boulevard juggled multiple serious issues: deli meats and tomatoes holding between 48-52°F, improperly packaged vacuum-sealed foods without proper dating, and cockroaches spotted near kitchen equipment. For a prestigious establishment, this is particularly concerning.
Con Huevos on Frankfort Avenue discarded over 8 pounds of pico, rice, cheese, guacamole, and house-made sauces that had warmed beyond safe temperatures.
El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant on Elzie Road had walk-in cooler issues affecting items near the door (45-50°F), plus day-old beans sitting at a dangerous 70°F.
Hurry for Curry on Bardstown Road saw rice at 50°F, chicken between 46-48°F, and cut tomatoes at 50°F — all discarded.
Buffalo Wild Wings #570 on Outer Loop had an entire cooler unit hitting 49°F, affecting cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and cooked chicken, plus plumbing issues.
Amran Coffee on South 3rd Street struggled with hot holding instead — their chicken and beef were kept at only 110°F instead of the required 135°F minimum.
Mi Casita on 4th downtown dealt with both temperature issues (chicken, beef, and tomatoes at 47-56°F) and sewage backup from their dish machine.
LouVUE's Take: The recurring theme here is clear — temperature control remains Louisville's biggest food safety challenge. These violations put diners at serious risk for foodborne illness, as bacteria multiply rapidly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F.
The Check, Please: Keep Watching Those Temps
While it's encouraging to see perfect follow-up scores, this week's pattern of temperature violations shows we still have work to do. Remember, a C grade means these issues are being addressed — most of these restaurants will likely pass their follow-ups once they've fixed their equipment and procedures. Keep checking LouVUE before you dine out, and don't hesitate to ask about food storage practices if something seems off.