The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department has ordered two Toledo Steak ‘N Shake locations to be closed, calling them an “immediate threat to public health.” A spokesperson for the health department tells us the stores were ordered to be closed on Tuesday.
On Friday, the health department said it will inspect the Steak n Shake locations on Monday. If they pass, they could open as early as Tuesday.
The stores that are affected are on Monroe Street and Reynolds Road. Several food inspections found severe and repeat issues, according to the health department. The repeat violations found include:
- Unclean food contact surfaces or utensil. Build-up was observed on slicers, in food prep sinks, around beverage dispensers, syrup dispensers, and the shake machine and shake station items.
- Outer opening not protected, which could lead to the entry of pests.
- Unclean facility, including food splatter on walls, dirty floors in the kitchen, and food debris and splatter throughout the facility.
The restaurants were found to not be in good repair, sanitizing solutions were found to be at incorrect temperatures and concentrations, and a substance believe to be mold also was observed in freezer areas.
Food inspection reports also revealed that a patron complained of becoming very ill for three days after eating chicken tenders, a cheeseburger, fries and drinking a soda at the Monroe Street Steak 'N Shake.
A report says that the license of the Monroe Street location was suspended due to "immediate danger to public health." A request can be made to reopen the facilities after all items from previous inspections have been corrected, "all pending cleaning issues and all pending maintenance issues."
"It is recommended that all staff pass approved Ohio PIC course and a professional cleaning company is contracted for a thorough cleaning of the entire facility," the report reads. "Failure to maintain the facility after reopening may result in further legal action including revocation of food service license."