There were 12 food facilities out of compliance with the Chester County Health Department in February, including a restaurant storing raw chicken on the floor, a local convenience mart selling oat milk that expired in January, and a hotel not providing tongs to pick up the grab-and-go pastries.

Here’s the full list:

Osteria AMA West Chester, 34 Street Rd., out, 5 violations including beans stored in the refrigerator in open metal cans and plastic “take-out” style bags used to store unpackaged gnocchi. Both practices were ordered discontinued, and the food moved to food-grade storage receptacles.

West Chester Diner, 1147 West Chester Pike, out, 20 violations, including employees not washing their hands properly, a variety of foods stored uncovered in open steel cans and ingredient bags, a flying insect control light device hanging above the ice cream freezer, and raw eggs and uncooked sausage left out on prep tables for more than four hours. The eggs, sausages, and all foods left in metal cans were discarded. The remaining items were covered and moved to food-grade storage units, and the bug light was ordered moved away from the food. There was also a lengthy list of cleaning instructions, including but not limited to the 3-bay sink and dishwasher area, all food service equipment along the mainline, floors, walls, rubber mats, fountain soda machine, milkshake mixer, can opening, and the deli slicer.

Taco Mar, 122 E. Gay St., out, 6 violations including an employee touching cooked tortillas with bare hands, open employee beverage containers in the prep area, and various foods left to cool using improper methods – i.e., they were not cooling fast enough to limit bacteria growth.

Microtel Inn & Suites, 500 Willowbrook Ln., out, 4 violations including a self-serve bakery case without tongs and single-use utensils displayed face first (meaning there was no way to grab them without first touching the part that goes in your mouth.).

Amish Market’s Jarlan’s Poultry (formerly Stoltzfus), 1165 Wilmington Pk., out, 9 violations including chemical cleaners stored on the same shelf with containers of food, clean dishes stored wet, and several cleaning tasks including the floor in the walk-in freezer, the sink drain, and the HVAC covers.

Jumbo Pizza, 2 Waterview Rd., out, 8 violations including raw chicken stored above raw pork in the refrigerator; lunch meat, chicken, and ranch dressing not kept cold enough; and lunch meats and chicken used in pizza prep kept for more than a day without date markings. Affected lunch meat, chicken, and dressing were discarded during the inspection.

Santino’s Tap & Table, 40 E. Market St,. out, 15 violations including a kitchen prep cooler not keeping items cold enough and no door on the men’s toilet. There was also no soap or paper towels in the bathroom. The ice machine interior, can opener, and various spatulas were visibly unclean. The interior of the beer cooler, behind the refrigerator, and the floors of both bars all needed a good cleaning, and there was evidence of fruit fly activity in the upstairs bar area.

Starbucks Coffee, 1081 West Chester Pike, out, 5 violations including countertops, floors, hand wash sink, scoops, caddies, and the blender area in need of cleaning and sanitizing,

Stove & Tap, 158 Gay St., out, 9 violations including a broken bain-marie not keeping food cold enough – food in the unit was discarded – and a can opener, ice machine, floors in the downstairs bar, and the interior of the beer walk in need of a good cleaning.

Lukoil, 455 Hannum Ave., out, 6 violations including two small chocolate milks and an oat milk out for sale past their expiration dates. The oat milk was more than a month past expiration. Check those dates! Also, basketballs and throw pillows in the back area, indicating non-food prep-related uses. “Remove any personal items from the food facility immediately,” the report read.

The Tomato Shack, 31 W. Gay St., out, 7 violations including an employee beverage in the food prep area, dented cans intended for use, ready-to-eat tahini kept past its use-by date, and ranch dressing and other sauces held at 56 deg F rather than 41 as required. All items were moved to the refrigerator.

Teca, 36-38 E. Gay St., out 12 violations including an open employee beverage left on a cutting board, eggs stored above raw fish, raw chicken stored on the floor (I’m assuming since this was not listed as discarded it was on some sort of packaging), other foods were stored open and uncovered. Ice buildup was found in the basement freezer; frozen beef was not defrosted properly; cooked vegetables and pasta were not cooled properly; and there were a list of cleaning requests like the can opener, kitchen ice machine, spatulas, microwaves, ceiling tiles, and ceiling in the beer cooler. Also, it was noted, perhaps not surprisingly, “Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility.”

Now, I know that didn’t sound great, but it’s not all bad news. Back in this month are Wasabi (Dilworthtown), Greystone Oyster Bar, Poke Bros., J&R’s Bakery (Amish Market), Capt’n Crunchy (Amish Market), Jersey Mikes, St. Agnes, Atexquita, Carlino’s, the Social Lounge, Oriental Pearl, Totino’s Pizza, and Taqueria Los Poblanos.

For more details and a complete list of reports, go to the PA Food Safety website and search by location.

For more details and a complete list of reports, go to the PA Food Safety website and search by location.

---

Originally published on Mar. 7, 2025

This story was part of a longer West Chester newsletter featuring all the news and events of the week. Curious what else is going on? Subscribe now to get the full story. New issues come out on Fridays!