DENVER — Each week, FOX31 and Channel 2 report on recent health inspections for restaurants in the Denver area. This week, we featured one failed location in Westminster, one failed location in Littleton and a winner in Westminster.
Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi
The Westminster restaurant failed with 14 serious health code mistakes on Aug. 20, 2019.
A Tri-County Health inspector says an employee washed their hands for fewer than 20 seconds and another worker handled ready-to-eat lemon with their bare hands. Other mistakes include:
Inspector found 14 health code mistakes
- Moldy veggies were stored with wholesome food
- No proof sushi was safe from parasites
- Tilapia was identified as red snapper on the menu
The restaurant did not return our messages, so we stopped by, but an employee told us there was no manager or owner at the restaurant.
Mt. Fuji Japanese Hibachi at 14643 Orchard Pkwy. was cited again during its follow-up inspection and corrected two violations while the inspector was at the restaurant.
Louis' Diner
The Littleton diner scored 10 serious mistakes in August, including:
10 serious mistakes at Littleton diner
- Employees touching cooked potatoes with bare hands
- No clean-up policy for when someone gets sick
- Weak sanitizing solution
We called and left messages, but no one called us back. When we went by for a look, an employee said there wasn’t anyone we could speak with at the restaurant.
A Tri-County inspector returned a week later and gave the diner on West Littleton Boulevard a thumbs up.
Yogurt Brothers
Yogurt Brothers in Westminster got an “A” for no serious issues during two consecutive regular inspections.
Pumpkin Spice at Yogurt Brothers, which scored an "A" in our Report Card
“It’s really just about keeping the place clean on a regular basis. Of course, you also have to have safe food handling procedures and make sure you are doing everything you need to do by the health department standards to make sure your food is safe for people to eat. It’s definitely a lot of work. You have to be on top of it all the time. Be very vigilant. But if you love your business and respect your customers food safety should always be a priority," said Terry Vanstory, the owner of Yogurt Brothers.
He said he is proud his establishment outperformed more traditional full-service restaurants.
“I thought it was great. My employees and I work really hard on a regular basis to make sure we keep the place clean and healthy. It’s unfortunate that some businesses out there don’t have the same expectations," Vanstory said.
How restaurants appear on our Report Card
Restaurant Report Card features health inspections in the city and county of Denver, Jefferson County, Weld County, Broomfield and restaurants under the jurisdiction of the Tri-County Health Department. The Tri-County Health Department includes Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties.
An inspection is a “snapshot” of what is happening during the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have more or fewer violations than noted in an inspection. Also, at the time of an inspection, violations are recorded and can be corrected prior to the inspector leaving the restaurant. If violations are not corrected, a follow-up inspection is scheduled.
The criteria FOX31 Denver uses to give a restaurant a failing grade includes the evaluation of two unannounced inspections by county health inspectors. A failing restaurant must have five or four critical violations on their most recent regular inspection and five or four critical violations on the previous regular inspection. The restaurant may also fail for eight or more violations in one inspection. Health inspectors may conduct critical or follow-up inspections, due to the number of critical violations found during a regular inspection. Those inspections may also be considered for our reports. We recognize restaurants with two regular inspections in a row, with no critical violations, by awarding them an A.