A Tale of Two Temperatures: Derby Week's Food Safety Roundup
While Louisville was busy hosting the world for Derby Week (May 4-10), our health inspectors kept their eyes on the prize — keeping diners safe across the city. This week brought a mixed bag of results, with some establishments hitting home runs while others stumbled at the finish line, particularly when it came to keeping food at proper temperatures.
LouVUE by the Numbers
Our inspectors covered a lot of ground this week:
- 199 total inspections
- 191 routine inspections
- 6 follow-up inspections
- 2 other inspections
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-ups Show Promise
Great news on the redemption front! Four establishments that had previously stumbled bounced back beautifully:
- 4th Ave United Methodist Church earned a perfect 100 after their prior C grade
- Peter Pan Cuban Cuisine also achieved a perfect score on their follow-up
- Gas-N-Go scored an impressive 99
- Supermercado Guanajuato hit the century mark as well
These turnarounds prove that a C grade doesn't mean a place can't get back on track — it just means they needed to address some serious issues first.
Cautionary Cuisine: This Week's Temperature Troubles
Five establishments found themselves in hot water (or rather, not hot enough water) this week:
Wendy's on Bardstown Road scored an 88 but earned a C due to dangerous temperature violations. Cold items like cut tomatoes (52°F), asiago cheese (55°F), and shredded cheese (51°F) were all stored well above the safe 41°F threshold, while cooked chicken was dangerously cool at just 93°F instead of the required 135°F minimum.
LouVUE's Take: Temperature violations are no joke — they create perfect conditions for bacterial growth that can cause serious foodborne illness.
Jolof Restaurant on Bardstown Road had multiple concerning issues beyond their 78 score, including cooked chicken at 97°F and hot dogs left on the counter at 71°F. Inspectors also found employees storing personal drinks near food and improperly washed hands.
LouVUE's Take: The combination of temperature abuse and poor hygiene practices creates a perfect storm for food safety issues.
CM Chicken on Bardstown Road couldn't keep their cooked chicken properly heated above 135°F, earning an 87 but still receiving a C grade.
LouVUE's Take: Hot holding violations mean food sits in the "danger zone" where bacteria multiply rapidly.
Indi's Restaurant on West Market Street faced a trifecta of problems: cold potato salad, dirty dishes on the "clean" rack, and evidence of rodent activity including droppings on flour bags.
LouVUE's Take: When you combine temperature issues with pest problems and sanitization failures, you're looking at multiple pathways for contamination.
Best Western Louisville East Inn & Suites scored a high 96 but still earned a C because their kitchen lacked any sanitizing solution — meaning surfaces that touch food weren't being properly cleaned.
LouVUE's Take: Even with an otherwise strong performance, missing sanitizer is a critical gap that puts diners at risk.
The Check, Please: Derby Standards Year-Round
While Derby Week brings excitement to Louisville, food safety standards remain constant. The good news? Those perfect follow-up scores show that establishments can and do bounce back from violations. Keep checking LouVUE before you dine — because knowing your restaurant's safety record never goes out of style.