Restaurant Roundup: Mexican restaurant temporarily closed with 20 violations, first-ever top-scoring meal prep business
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A Mexican restaurant in Northeast Colorado Springs was temporarily closed after failing its recent routine health inspection with over 20 violations. Meanwhile, we’re highlighting a different kind of high score this week!
Low scores:
The inspector reported that an employee touched food with their bare hands, and there was no soap at the handwashing sink.
The inspector was also made aware that cutting boards and knives used for raw food were only cleaned once per day.
When we stopped by, Las Palmitas was back open after passing its re-inspection.
The bartender told us the manager wasn’t there, but he called her up, and she assured us that customers don’t have to worry about dirty cutting boards or dirty hands touching their food anymore.
“Everybody has been retrained,” the manager told KRDO in a phone interview.
Now, let's get to our high scores!
Blackjack Pizza at S Academy Boulevard and Astrozon Boulevard, and Red Robin at N Carefree Circle and N Powers Boulevard.
We also have a perfect score:
Chef in Boots at Austin Bluffs Parkway and Barnes Road, run by Rebecca Svabek, who says it’s easy to stay clean when you can’t stand a mess.
“I am just an organization freak,” she joked.
Rebecca actually uses a shared kitchen to prepare the Chef in Boots meals. So, the inspector checked out that space and watched her fulfill a bunch of orders to make sure she’s following food safety standards.
Turns out – the inspector found perfection!
Chef in Boots follows a modern-day business plan that’s growing more popular: rent out space to make healthy and customizable meals.
Going out to eat can get expensive, and cooking every single day can be exhausting.
If you’ve been looking for a local meal prep business that focuses on cleanliness and food safety – this one’s for you.
“The food is likable by everybody in the family but also affordable,” Rebecca explained.
Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant to know the kitchen inside is clean.
Reminder: all of our high and low-scoring restaurants are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.
Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.
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