Restaurant Roundup: Chicken spot slammed for unsafe poultry, downtown deli perfectly fresh & clean
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A routine health inspection found several food safety violations at an eastside chicken restaurant, while several other local eateries earned top marks for cleanliness —including one downtown deli that received a perfect score!
BB.Q Chicken cited for food safety violations
Among the most significant concerns were:
- Raw meat stored above vegetables, creating a risk of cross-contamination.
- Chicken and cream being held at unsafe temperatures, which can allow harmful bacteria to grow.
The restaurant later passed its follow-up inspection. However, inspectors still noted additional concerns, including another potential cross-contamination issue and cream that remained at an unsafe holding temperature.
When asked about the recurring violations, a manager at BB.Q Chicken said the restaurant has already addressed the problems.
"Everything is good and our customers are satisfied with our quality," he assured.
Several restaurants earn high scores
A number of Colorado Springs restaurants received high marks during recent health inspections, including:
- Fat Shack at Woodman Road and Rangewood Drive
- Lebowski's Taproom at N Union and Powers
- Crooked Cue on Tejon Street
East Coast Deli earns perfect score
One of this week's standout inspections was East Coast Deli on Tejon Street, which received a perfect health inspection score.
While the restaurant serves Boar's Head products, much of its menu is made from scratch.
"We boil and bake our bagels in-house every morning. 95% of everything, except French fries and onion rings, is made in-house," said manager Nicole Repass.
That includes freshly baked buns and hand-sliced pastrami prepared daily!
Cleanliness starts with daily habits
Preparing so much food in-house requires extra attention to sanitation, but staff say maintaining cleanliness is part of their daily routine rather than something reserved for inspection days.
Repass credited the restaurant's success to consistent training, strong leadership, and employees who stay on top of daily cleaning tasks. She noted that two new employees were working during the latest inspection, but thorough training and the deli's daily cleaning checklist helped the restaurant acquire its perfect score.
"As long as we stay on top of it, it really isn't that much every day," Nicole said. "We're all really good about it."
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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