Dog Days, Hot Plates: This Week in Louisville Food Safety
Welcome back, Ville eaters. It was a scorcher out there August 17–23, and unfortunately a few kitchen coolers decided to sweat it out right alongside us. When your walk-in starts feeling like a sauna, that's when we get nervous — and this week, temperature control was the name of the game. Let's dig in.
LouVUE by the Numbers
- Total inspections: 144
- Regular inspections: 130
- Follow-ups: 9
- Other: 5
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: Redemption Arcs and Repeat Offenders
Most of this week's follow-ups came back with good news — proof that a C isn't always the final course:
- Boombozz Pizza & Watch Bar bounced from C to a sizzling 99, Grade A.
- PF Chang's also climbed from C to 99, A — welcome back to the table.
- In Season went from C to a perfect 100, A. Fresh start indeed.
- Mi Preferida rebounded from C to 99, A on one follow-up.
- Cash Savers Market held steady with a strong 99 on recheck.
- Five Star Breaktime Solutions - AP4 and Bardstown Bazaar both posted clean, confident scores in the high 90s/100.
The one repeat visitor still on our radar: Rico & Sabroso, which we'll get into below — same grade, different day.
Cautionary Cuisine: When the Heat Isn't Just From the Kitchen
Six spots landed a C this week, and temperature control was the running theme — coolers running warm, hot food running cold. Here's the rundown:
Rico & Sabroso — Score: 94
- Sewage/wastewater not disposed of properly.
- LouVUE's Take: A plumbing-adjacent violation is nothing to shrug off — improper wastewater disposal is a serious sanitation red flag. This is a repeat C on follow-up, so we're watching closely until they clear the next check.
Cuban KY — Score: 68
- LouVUE's Take: No detailed violations listed, but a 68 tells its own story — this is a low score driven by a stack of issues, not just one slip-up. Worth a follow-up visit before you follow up with a visit of your own.
Fazoli's — Score: 92
- Walk-in cooler holding cut tomatoes, cheese, chicken and pasta at a dangerous 52°F. Reach-in cooler holding cooked pasta at 50°F. Both discarded.
- LouVUE's Take: Breadsticks are great, but not when the cold-holding units can't keep their cool. Good news: the affected food was tossed before it could reach a plate.
Sugar Diva Bakery and Cake — Score: 82
- A cream/oil/garlic mixture held between 51–70°F (discarded); food not date-marked; toxic cleaning chemicals stored above food; insect activity near the storage room and ice machine; signs of rodents in storage.
- LouVUE's Take: This is the most loaded violation list of the week — temperature, chemical storage, and pest issues all in one visit. Definitely one to watch for the follow-up.
Chipotle Mexican Grill #2428 — Score: 93
- Sanitizer dispenser at the three-compartment sink was empty, meaning dishes weren't properly sanitized (corrected on-site). Beans held at 107°F instead of the required 135°F (discarded).
- LouVUE's Take: Quick correction on the sanitizer is a good sign, but the bean situation is a reminder that "hot holding" needs to mean hot.
Subway #34164 — Score: 94
- Walk-in cooler holding TCS foods between 47°F–52.6°F, unit itself running as warm as 54.8°F. A quarantine order was issued for the affected food.
- LouVUE's Take: When the health department has to quarantine your fridge contents, that's about as serious as it gets short of a shutdown. Glad it was caught.
The Check, Please: Keep Your Cool Out There
If there's one lesson from this scorching week, it's that Louisville's kitchens are fighting the same August heat we all are — and coolers don't get vacation days. Kudos to Cheezy Does It, Hip Hop Sweet Shop, both Costco #634 listings, and AFC Sushi @ Kroger #224 for perfect 100s this week. As always, check your favorite spot's full inspection history on LouVUE before your next order — and maybe ask if the AC's working while you're at it.