Restaurant Roundup: ‘Chemical powder’ found in flour container at fast food spot, popular Irish pub performs

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The Popeyes in Fountain failed a recent routine health inspection after inspectors found several concerning violations.

Chemical powder found in container labeled flour

The inspector swabbed the ice machine and found a moldy substance. A lidless flour container was contaminated with food debris, and another flour container was mislabeled and contained a chemical powder.

The inspector also noted that kitchen cabinet handles and a door handle were “soiled.”

When KRDO 13 visited the restaurant, the manager told the crew to turn off the camera and leave. She declined to comment on the inspection off camera.

Popeyes passed its re-inspection with four violations.

Several restaurants earn high scores

The Taco Bell on Mesa Ridge Parkway in Fountain received a perfect health inspection score.

Other restaurants earning high scores include Shin Sa Dong on East Pikes Peak Avenue, Noodles & Company in Fountain and O’Malley’s in Palmer Lake.

O'Malley's focuses on checklists, routine maintenance

O’Malley’s is a popular Irish pub in the small mountain community that has been serving customers for more than 40 years. The owner, Cody Sweatt, told us most of the restaurant's recipes are still the same as when it first opened!

The pub has maintained its spotless standards by implementing cleaning checklists and routine maintenance.

“We started doing a lot of cleaning checklists and routine maintenance. And after a while of just doing those over and over and over, it just became a habit,” Sweatt said.

Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup Awards at your favorite restaurant as a sign that its kitchen has met the inspection standards. A high score means the kitchen has passed its routine health inspection with minimal violations.

Reminder: All high and low scores in this roundup are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

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