Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant Gets Red Placard

The Hawai‘i Department of Health issued a red placard to Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant in Kihei, Maui, because its kitchen was infested with roaches among many other food safety violations and health hazards. The restaurant is currently closed and has been ordered to correct the violations by Sept. 17, when the health department will conduct a follow-up inspection.

The health inspector observed 20 to 30 live roaches in the restaurant, crawling on plates, bowls, plastic-wrapped containers, the dishwasher area, and on food service countertops and other areas of the kitchen. Roaches were also found in cooked rice, flour, and in vegetables in the prep chill refrigerator.
 
The inspector also observed a number of foodborne illness risk factors that were immediately corrected by the restaurant, including lack of soap at a hand sink, another hand wash sink was not accessible and used to store pans and other items, and raw beef was stored in the same container as cooked beef in the prep chill unit.

The inspector noted other risks that the restaurant has until Sept. 17 to correct:

• Chemical sanitizer in dishwasher was not at proper concentration;
• Cooked shrimp and chicken items stored in the walk-in refrigerator were not properly labeled to be discarded in seven days;
• A tub of condensate water, a potential food contaminant, was stored in a walk-in refrigerator above the broccoli and other items;
• Areas by the grill and dry storage and sinks had excessive food debris and grease; and
• The physical facilities need to be cleaned, particularly the back of the kitchen area, to reduce food debris.