LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Each month, the Livingston County Health Department inspects restaurants, schools and other facilities for unsafe food practices.
Good food safety practices are critical to preventing foodborne illness and promoting public health. The Daily publishes reports on “priority” violations — those that could “directly lead to contamination of food or increase the risk of transmitting a foodborne illness,” as well as corrective measures taken. All reports are available at swordsolutions.com/inspections.
At least 20 dining establishments inspected in December had priority violations. Follow-up inspections of priority violations are also provided if they occurred last month.
Four priority violations were found at:
Saroki’s Crispy Chicken and Pizza: 10045 Clyde Road in Fenton
Raw fish was stored over lettuce in the walk-in cooler. To correct, the fish was moved below ready-to-eat foods.
The dry erase area where pizza times are supposed to be recorded wasn’t being used, and the written policy wasn’t available. The manager knew the times and, to correct, marked them on the sheet. The written procedures stated that all pizza had to be discarded after four hours, but indicated pizza slices could be packaged after 2.5 hours and placed in the grab-and-go area. This is a violation. Moving forward, any pizza in the grab-and-go area will be properly cooled and stored at 41 degrees.
An employee was seen wearing single-use gloves when handling cash. The gloves were changed before handling food, but the employee didn’t wash their hands. The same happened after handling raw chicken. To correct, proper procedure was discussed.
There were no quat test strips for the three-compartment sink. Following the inspection, a photo of a quat test kit was received.
Three priority violations were found at:
Be My Guest Café: 10691 W. Grand River Ave. in Fowlerville
An employee was seen handling lettuce with their bare hands, even though gloves were available. To correct, proper procedure was discussed and gloves were used for other ready-to-eat foods. This is the third consecutive time this violation has been cited.
An employee was seen switching between dirty dishes and food preparation without washing their hands. To correct, proper handwashing was discussed with the owner and the employee washed their hands.
The sanitizer in the dishwashing machine was measuring at 25 ppm instead of 50-100 ppm. The owner had already called someone to adjust it.
Independence Village of Brighton Valley: 7700 Nemco Way in Brighton
An employee picked up trash from the floor and discarded it, then grabbed gloves, set them on the counter and washed their hands before putting the gloves on. To correct, proper procedure was discussed with the chef (the gloves shouldn’t have been grabbed until after hands were washed).
Food cooled the day before was being stored 4-6 inches deep. No temperature violations were observed, but food depth should be limited to two inches to ensure rapid cooling. This violation was cited a year ago, but the last three inspections have been in compliance.
The slicer had food residue behind the blade. The chef said the slicer would be cleaned before use and prior to the end of the day.
Two priority violations were found at:
Cajun Joes: 5757 Whitmore Lake Road #500 in Brighton
Cooked chicken, open dairy products and housemade sauces weren’t date marked. The items were prepared one and two days before. To correct, proper labels were attached.
The men’s bathroom and kitchen handwashing sinks had no hand towels available. To correct, towels were provided.
Hartland Brewing Company: 1836 N. Old US-23 in Howell
There were no labels on the sanitizer spray bottles. The person-in-charge said they’d be labeled by the end of the day. The handwashing sink in the middle of the bar had a container with supplies inside, blocking access. The items were removed.
Coffee Beanery Brighton: 4433 Old US-23 in Brighton
The sanitizer sink didn’t have enough quaternary sanitizer product, which should measure at 200-400 ppm. The measured concentration was less than 150 ppm. To correct, additional tablets were added. This violation was cited for the second time during the last five inspections.
The facility uses both chlorine and quaternary sanitizer products, but no test strips were available.
Marco’s Pizza: 217 E. Grand River Ave. in Howell
The restaurant’s pizza slicers were being cleaned approximately twice per day, but food-contact utensils must be cleaned every four hours. In addition, paper towels weren’t available at the handwashing sink. They were replenished during the inspection.
Mugg and Bopps: 106 Main St. in Gregory
One of the coolers at Subway was holding food at 47 degrees with an ambient air temperature of 56 degrees. The food had been stocked less than two hours before, so it was moved to another cooler. Ice was placed in malfunctioning cooler and the manager called for repairs. This is the second time this violation has been cited.
Trays were blocking the Subway handwashing sink. To correct, they were moved so the sink was accessible. This violation has been cited for the second time.
Note: The cooler was repaired later the same day.
One priority violation was found at:
Aubree’s Pizzeria and Grill: 4433 E. Grand River Ave. in Howell
Pre-portioned cooked beans and chicken wings didn’t have the correct date labels. The bulk outer container wasn’t relabeled when the products were replenished. To correct, they were properly labeled.
Bluefin Hibachi and Sushi: 10030 Highland Road in Hartland
Sushi rice was holding at 122 degrees. It had been cooked two hours before and would be used within two hours, but there was no time stamp.
Bob Evans: 3880 E. Grand River Ave. in Howell
Liquid egg product was sitting out at room temperature near the grill. It measured over 70 degrees and didn’t have a time label. To correct, the product was discarded.
Brookdale Brighton: 833 E. Grand River Ave. in Brighton
Sanitizer wasn’t detected in the three-compartment sink and chlorine levels were less than 10 ppm in the dishwashing machine. For now, dishes will be manually sanitized until the problems are corrected. This violation was cited for the second time during the last five inspections.
During a follow-up inspection, the violation was still uncorrected. According to an employee, the eatery ran out of product and more had been delivered earlier in the day. The dishwasher dispenser was refilled and sanitizer levels were restored, but no sanitizer was detected in the three-compartment sink.
During a second follow-up inspection, the equipment was repaired and proper sanitizer levels were restored.
Pinckney Diner: 150 S. Howell St. in Pinckney
The battery in the soap dispenser was dead. To correct, it was replaced.
Jezebel’s Saloon: 205 W. Main St. in Brighton
No hand towels were available at the handwashing sink. To correct, the dispenser was refilled.
Joe Kool’s: 9555 Village Place Blvd. in Brighton
The grill prep cooler was holding food at 43-45 degrees. This violation was cited for the second time during the last five inspections.
Marco’s Pizza: 1222 E. M-36 in Pinckney
The line cooler had sausage with a discard date of Dec. 3 and meatballs had a discard date of Dec. 1. They were discarded during the inspection, which took place Dec. 5.
New China King: 1104 E. Grand River Ave. in Howell
Containers of raw pork and chicken were stored above cooked rice and noodles in the walk-in cooler. The cooler was re-organized so no raw products were stored above cooked products. This is a repeat violation.
Olive Garden: 6870 Whitmore Lake Road in Brighton
To-go salads in the small, one-door cooler were holding at 45 degrees and the cooler temperature was 46-48 degrees. The salads were prepared 30 minutes earlier, so they were moved to the walk-in cooler.
During a follow-up inspection, the cooler was repaired.
Pinckney Bakery: 169 E. Main St. in Pinckney
There was no paper towel at the hand sink. To correct, paper towel was provided. This is the second time this violation has been cited.
Pinckney Memorial American Legion: 9807 Whitewood Road in Pinckney
There were two bags of hot dogs and two plastic containers of chili sauce in the fridge, all marked with dates from over a week before. The food was discarded.
Five notable follow-up inspections took place in December:
Big Chicken: 10490 Highland Road in Hartland
The restaurant was granted a 30-day extension to finish extensive repairs on the dishwashing machine. Employees will continue to use the three-compartment sink until the machine is working.
The proper valve was attached to the mop sink.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop: 8539 Grand River Ave. Ste. B in Brighton
The front handwashing sink had a “significant amount” of food particles and was being used to rinse dishware. To correct, proper procedure was discussed.
Casa Tequila Brighton: 501 W. Main St. in Brighton
The cooler is now holding at 41 degrees or below.
M Street Baking Company: 117 N. Michigan Ave. in Howell
The dishwashing machine is now properly sanitizing.
Sidecar Slider Bar: 120 W. Main St. in Brighton
The bar cooler was holding food at 41 degrees or below. The dishwashing machine was sanitizing at proper levels.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Pizza and chicken restaurant faces four priority violations near Hartland
Reporting by Tess Ware, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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