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Two Centre County breakfast sandwich shops fail February inspections. See the reports

Centre Daily Times - 3/6/2024

Mar. 6—At least two Centre County establishments were found out of compliance following food safety inspections conducted throughout February.

Though unrelated and conducted separately, both of the month's failed inspections occurred at State College establishments known for their breakfast sandwiches.

Information regarding county establishments and their violations appears below in an alphabetical list with a summary of the problems inspectors noted in their respective reports. More details are available upon request by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's online database.

More than 50 other establishments passed their inspections with few or no violations. They also appear alphabetically below.

Business owners who wish to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com.

About food safety inspections

Under Pennsylvania law, eating and drinking establishments are inspected at least once per year. Some schools, including the State College Area School District, receive biannual inspections.

Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture may conduct additional inspections if complaints are received or if initial inspections are not up to code.

Most observed violations are minor in scope and are corrected during inspections, but some establishments may temporarily close if too many violations are found. Closures may occur as a result of other issues, including risks for foodborne illnesses or violations that take time to address, such as broken plumbing or pest infestations.

Most inspections in Centre County are conducted at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities directly conduct their health inspections through certified officials who fall under their jurisdiction. State College, for example, is responsible for performing inspections in the borough and in Ferguson, Patton and College townships, a borough official said.

Once inspections are complete and reports are published, you can browse them online by visiting pafoodsafety.state.pa.us/web/inspection/publicinspectionsearch.aspx. You can look up establishments by name or filter results to specific cities, counties and ZIP codes.

Out-of-compliance inspections

Bagel Love Cafe, 2122 N. Atherton St. in State College — A Feb. 23 routine inspection resulted in four violations for this breakfast sandwich shop, most of which concerned cleanliness.

According to borough sanitarian Brian O'Donnell's report, the restaurant stored commercially processed, ready-to-eat food items in a reach-in refrigerator for more than 24 hours without being marked with the dates on which they were first opened. Additionally, O'Donnell observed bags of flour and other dry goods food items stored in a back production area, where it is "subject to splash from contamination," the report reads.

A paper towel dispenser near a handwashing sink was empty, the report claims. A wall next to the restaurant's broiler featured peeling paint and required resealing and painting.

Irving's, 110 E. College Ave. in State College — A Feb. 20 routine inspection found five violations at this breakfast sandwich shop.

O'Donnell observed food preparation areas under ceiling tiles that are "soiled with heavy dust buildup." Mechanical washing equipment featured limescale buildup and rust, while the sides of a line cooler were soiled with food debris.

Walls in the dish cleaning and storage room displayed peeling paint and damaged drywall in need of repair, plus peeling paint on another wall near an ice machine, O'Donnell's report reads. Backsplashes at hand sinks and counters, plus walls behind trash cans, were soiled with food residue and "in need of cleaning."

How to complain about conditions

If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint to catch officials' attention.

To notify the commonwealth about questionable conditions anywhere food is served or sold to the public, call 1-866-366-3723 or fill out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's food safety complaint form, available online at pda.pa.gov/FoodSafetyComplaint/. The form asks for consumer information, facility details and a full description of each complaint.

You can also contact the commonwealth's Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services directly by calling 717-787-4315 or emailing RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov.

Locally, you can report concerns to State College officials by calling 814-234-7100 or emailing healthdept@statecollegepa.us.

These businesses passed inspections in February

— Alloy Kitchen, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

— Brother's Bar & Grill, 134 S. Allen St. in State College

— Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave. in State College

— Central Counties Youth Center, 148 Paradise Road in Bellefonte

— Central PA Institute of Science & Technology, 540 N. Harrison Road in Pleasant Gap

— Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School, 211 N. Hoffer St. in Centre Hall

— Centre Markets, 2901 E. College Ave. Suite 506 in State College

— Chopstick Express, 134 E. College Ave. in State College

— Dollar General No. 2263, 141 S. Spring St. in Bellefonte

— Dunkin', 479 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Centre Hall

— Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St. in State College

— Findlay Dining Commons, 215 Findlay Commons in University Park

— Flo Bros Pizza, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

— Graduate State College — The Trophy Room, 125 S. Atherton St. in State College

— Hampton Inn & Suites, 1955 Waddle Road in State College

— Hilltop Farms, 3796 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

— Holiday Inn Express, 1925 Waddle Road in State College

— Hometown Market, 1323 Walton St. in Philipsburg

— Krishan Indian Grocery, 230 A W. College Ave. in State College

— Little Szechuan, 228 W. College Ave. in State College

— Marin Eats, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

— Marion-Walker Elementary School, 100 School Drive in Hublersburg

— Masala Palace, 120 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

— Meddear Food Co. (MFF2), 705 S. Atherton St. in State College

— Meyer Dairy Store, 2390 S. Atherton St. in State College

— Millheim Hotel Inc., 112 W. Main St., P.O. Box 442 in Millheim

— Mini Mart, 114 N. Allegheny St. in Bellefonte

— Momotaro No. 168, 220 W. College Ave. in State College

— Mountain View County Club, 310 Elks Club Road in Boalsburg

— Nittany Meadow Farm (MFF2), 227 Nittany Meadow Farm Lane in Centre Hall

— Pappa's Pies (MFF3), 210 Pepper Ride Drive, P.O. Box 184 in Spring Mills

— Paul's Provisions, 200 Mill St., Suite 842 in Milesburg

— Penns Valley Area Elementary School, 4528 Penns Valley Road in Spring Mills

— Penns Valley Area Junior/Senior High School, 4545 Penns Valley Road in Spring Mills

— Philipsburg Elementary School, Route 550 Windy Hill Road in Philipsburg

— Philipsburg Elks Lodge and Country Club, 1 Country Club Lane, P.O. Box 307 in Philipsburg

— Philipsburg-Oceola Area High School, 200 Philips St. in Philipsburg

— Pleasant Gap Elementary School, 230 S. Main St. in Pleasant Gap

— Port Matilda Elementary School, 209 Locust St., P.O. Box 558 in Port Matilda

— Quaker Steak and Lube, 501 Benner Pike in State College

— Sakura Restaurant Inc., 1525 S. Atherton St. in State College

— Smoke N Go Express, 121 W. College Ave. in Bellefonte

— Springhill Suites, 1935 Waddle Road in State College

— St. John The Evangelist Catholic School, 115 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte

— St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church (TFS4), 134 E. Bishop St. in Bellefonte

— The Phyrst — Famous Ernie's Steaks — Local Whiskey — Central Reservation, 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

— Underground Burgers and Crepes — Yallah Taco — Justice Chicken, 218 E. Calder Way in State College

— Webster'sBookstore Cafe, 133 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

— Weis Markets No. 137, 110 Rolling Ridge Drive in State College

— Zion Mart No. 64, 1896 E. College Ave. in Bellefonte

Note: Occasionally, a listed address — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — is not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments for specific service locations.

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