Fall Into Food Safety: September 7 - 13 in Review
Autumn's creeping into the Ville, pumpkin spice is back on menus, and our inspectors have been busy making sure your comfort food comes with a side of confidence. Here's what went down in kitchens from the Highlands to Dixie Highway this week.
LouVUE by the Numbers
- 111 total inspections
- 98 regular inspections
- 10 follow-ups
- 3 other visits
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 Served Hot
Ten spots came back for their follow-up round, and most of them turned the tables in a big way:
- Fraternal Order of Eagles #2173 — C ➡️ A, soaring to a 99
- Family Supermarket — C ➡️ A, landing a 95
- Victoria Mexican Restaurant — C ➡️ A, with a 99
- Dino's II — C ➡️ A, and a perfect 100
- 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee — C ➡️ A, also a flawless 100
- Texas Roadhouse — C ➡️ A, rolling in with a 100
- Suga Land — C ➡️ A, at 99
- Beth Haven — held steady at A with a 98
- Fine Stop and Monarca Mexican Grocery both posted strong scores (98 and 100) on their follow-ups, too
That's a whole lot of comeback stories this week — proof that a C isn't a life sentence, just a "let's fix this, and fast" moment.
Cautionary Cuisine: This Week's Grade C Club
Five establishments failed their inspections this week. Remember — a C means a required follow-up, not necessarily a five-alarm fire happening right now. Here's the rundown:
Krispy Krunchy — 4544 Poplar Level Rd — Score: 89
- Beans and bean sprouts found at 51°F in a cooler that should keep TCS (temperature-controlled-for-safety) foods at 41°F or below. Bacteria loves that gray zone.
- LouVUE's Take: Less than 10 pounds of food, corrected on the spot — a small stumble, but temperature control is temperature control.
La Holguinera — 4637 Dixie Hwy — Score: 83
- No specific critical violations listed, but the score alone landed them below the 85 threshold.
- LouVUE's Take: Sometimes it's death by a thousand paper cuts rather than one big violation. Worth a follow-up watch.
DeSales High School — 425 W Kenwood Dr — Score: 95
- Reach-in cooler holding food at 48-50°F, well above the safe 41°F cutoff.
- LouVUE's Take: High score, one priority violation — a great reminder that even a single cold-holding slip can flip the grade to red. That cooler needs a checkup.
Glen Ridge Health Campus — 6415 Calm River Way — Score: 75
- A rough one: bare hands touching ready-to-eat food, an employee using a phone and drinking before handling clean dishes without washing up, personal drinks stored near prep areas, chemicals stored next to clean dishes, and a wastewater leak at the dish sink.
- LouVUE's Take: This is a full-plate violation report. Multiple hygiene breakdowns plus a plumbing issue is exactly why follow-ups exist — we'll be watching closely for the recheck.
Wild Eggs — 3985 Dutchmans Ln — Score: 86
- Cold-holding food discarded after failing temp checks, unlabeled chemicals, and sanitizer solution not mixed at the right strength to actually kill germs on dishes.
- LouVUE's Take: Breakfast spots run hot and fast — but sanitizer concentration isn't a "close enough" situation. Hoping for a clean recheck soon.
Top of the Class
Big shoutout to the perfect scorers this week: Lucy's in the Kitchen, DePaul School, KFC Y300-084, Porter Early Childhood Center, and Steak n Shake #703 — all hit that coveted 100.
The Check, Please
Lots of comeback kids this week proving that follow-ups work — but a handful of new C's remind us why LouVUE exists in the first place. Before your next meal out, take thirty seconds to check your favorite spot's grade. Knowledge is the best appetizer. See you next week, Louisville!