Cockroach spotted, risky food temps: See April’s Centre County restaurant inspections

Matt DiSanto
·8 min read
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At least one Centre County establishment was found out of compliance following food safety inspections conducted throughout April.

The county’s lone failed inspection came from a Japanese restaurant in downtown State College that produced violations concerning cleanliness, food temperatures and food safety.

More than 90 other Centre County establishments appear alphabetically in this story after passing inspections with few or no violations. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, no restaurants or establishments in the county failed their inspections in March.

Information regarding county establishments and their violations appears below in an alphabetical list with a summary of the problems inspectors noted in their respective reports. More details are available upon request by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s online database.

Business owners who wish to clarify or comment on inspection results can contact Centre Daily Times reporter Matt DiSanto by emailing mdisanto@centredaily.com.

About food safety inspections

In accordance with Pennsylvania law, eating and drinking establishments are inspected at least once per year. Some schools, including the State College Area School District, receive biannual inspections.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture may conduct additional inspections if complaints are received or if initial inspections are not up to code.

Most observed violations are minor in scope and are corrected during inspections, but some establishments may temporarily close if too many violations are found. Closures may occur as a result of other issues, including risks for foodborne illnesses or violations that take time to address, such as broken plumbing or pest infestations.

Most inspections in Centre County are conducted at the state level through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. More than 100 municipalities directly conduct their health inspections through certified officials who fall under their jurisdiction. State College, for example, is responsible for performing inspections in the borough and in Ferguson, Patton and College townships, a borough official said.

Once inspections are complete and reports are published, you can browse them online by visiting pafoodsafety.state.pa.us/web/inspection/publicinspectionsearch.aspx. You can look up establishments by name or filter results to specific cities, counties and ZIP codes.

Out-of-compliance inspections

Kokoro and Su Ji Chang Fen Dian, 404 E. Calder Way in State College — An April 11 routine inspection resulted in six total violations for this restaurant, most of which concerned food temperature control and cleanliness.

According to borough sanitarian Brian O’Donnell, the restaurant did not have hand sanitizer present and available for use in the establishment. O’Donnell’s report also claims he observed a cockroach on a refrigeration unit, prompting an order to start a pest control contract with a licensed pest management company.

Temperature checks during O’Donnell’s inspection found chicken held at 108 degrees Fahrenheit in a hot well, far below the 135-degree minimum as required by food safety guidelines. Partially cooked eggs were held at 70 degrees rather than 41 degrees or below, again as required by food safety regulations. O’Donnell observed beef thawing at room temperature in a sink, requiring the meat to be thrown away following prolonged exposure.

O’Donnell’s report claims an employee with proper food safety knowledge must be present in the restaurant during all hours of operation. No such person was present at the time of the inspection.

A follow-up inspection conducted April 12 returned Kokoro to compliance.

How to complain about conditions

If you see a problem at a retail food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint to catch officials’ attention.

To notify the commonwealth about questionable conditions anywhere food is served or sold to the public, call 1-866-366-3723 or fill out the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s food safety complaint form, available online at pda.pa.gov/FoodSafetyComplaint/. The form asks for consumer information, facility details and a full description of each complaint.

You can also contact the commonwealth’s Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services directly by calling 717-787-4315 or emailing RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov.

Locally, you can report concerns to State College officials by calling 814-234-7100 or emailing healthdept@statecollegepa.us.

These establishments passed inspections in April

  • Aldi, 780 Benner Pike in State College

  • American Legion Post No. 867, 435 S. Main St. in Pleasant Gap

  • Bald Eagle Area Junior/Senior High School, 751 S. Eagle Valley Road in Wingate

  • Bartlebaugh Cotton Candy (MFF3), 104 Madisonburg Pike in Madisonburg

  • Bartlebaugh’s Amusements/Rosie’s Cantina (MFF3), 104 Madisonburg Pike in Madisonburg

  • Belle Mercantile, 135 S. Spring St. in Bellefonte

  • Big D’s, 509 Dell St. in Bellefonte

  • Big Lots No. 228, 503 Benner Pike in State College

  • BRGR, 122 W. College Ave. in State College

  • Brothers Pizza of Howard, 102 E. Main St. in Howard

  • Burgundy Rose Bakery @ Titan Market, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

  • Centre Learning Charter School, 2643 W. College Ave. in State College

  • Centre Markets, 2901 E. College Ave., Suite 506 in State College

  • Centre Region Active Adult Center, 2901 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Chipotle, 1850 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Corl Street Elementary School, 235 Corl St. in State College

  • Dairy Barn, 5561 Jacksonville Road in Howard

  • Delhi Junction Indian Cuisine, 128 Locust Lane in State College

  • Dollar General No. 10435, 124 Walton St. in Philipsburg

  • Domino’s Pizza, 540 Westerly Parkway in State College

  • Duffy’s Tavern, 113 E. Main St. in Boalsburg

  • Easterly Parkway Elementary School, 234 Easterly Parkway in State College

  • Edible Arrangements, 337 Benner Pike in State College

  • Elixr Coffee, 123 W. Beaver Ave. in State College

  • Fasta Pasta (MFF3), 157 W. College Ave. in Bellefonte

  • Ferguson Township Elementary School, 215 W. Pine Grove Road in State College

  • Fisher’s Market, 100 Turnpike St., P.O. Box 813 in Milesburg

  • Flo Bros Pizza (MFF3), 325 Nittany Valley Drive in Bellefonte

  • Frosty Hook Hotel, 113 W. Firehall Road in Spring Mills

  • Fujisan Sushi, 381 Benner Pike in State College

  • Global Market, 240 W. Hamilton Ave. in State College

  • Goot Essa LLC, 351 Wise Road in Howard

  • Gourmet Griddle Company (MFF4), 2086 Barns Lane in Bellefonte

  • Hoag’s Catering, 3500 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, 1450 N. Atherton St. in State College

  • Idou Coffee Co. (MFF3), 209 N. Church St. in Boalsburg

  • Jodons Country Place, 112 W. Firehall Road, P.O. Box 23 in Spring Mills

  • Kanagy’s Custom Meats, 2042 Axemann Road in Bellefonte

  • Marin Eats (MFF3), 163 Bel Air Hills Road in Bellefonte

  • McDonald’s No. 16198, 802 Eagle Valley Road in Milesburg

  • Miller’s Hoagies, 304 Turnpike St., P.O. Box 662 in Milesburg

  • Mount Nittany Elementary School, 700 Brandywine Drive in State College

  • Mount Nittany Middle School, 656 Brandywine Drive in State College

  • Mountain Top Catering, 2870 Port Matilda Highway in Philipsburg

  • Old Pop’s Corny Village Emporium, 1374 Troy Hawk Run Highway in Philipsburg

  • Panera Bread, Zoller Visual Arts Building 114 in University Park

  • Penn Kebab, 418 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Penn State Halal Guys, 417 E. Calder Way in State College

  • Perkin’s Restaurant, 525 Benner Pike in State College

  • Pollock Dining Commons, 215 Pollock Commons in University Park

  • RJ’s Pub & Grill, 615 N. Ninth St. in Philipsburg

  • Sam’s Club No. 6533, 381 Benner Pike in State College

  • Sauly Boy’s, 124 S. Allen St. in State College

  • Sharkies Bar & Thrifty Bottle Shop, 110 Sowers St. in State College

  • Sheetz No. 64, 808 N. Front St. in Philipsburg

  • Sheetz No. 715, 3261 W. College Ave. in State College

  • Snyder’s Concessions Funnel Cakes (MFF3 XFW-8396), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Funnel Cakes (MFF3 XFW-8398), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Funnel Cakes (MFF3 XK-36498), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Pizza No. 3 (MFF3 XFX-1131), 2234 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Pizza No. 1 (MFF3 XFW-8394), 2234 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Concessions Pizza No. 2, (MFF3 XFW-8395), 2234 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Funnel Cakes No. 3 (MFF3 XFW-8399), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Snyder’s Funnel Cakes No. 4 (MFF3 XFW-8397), 2219 Jacksonville Road in Bellefonte

  • Sowers Market, 670 Tyrone Pike in Philipsburg

  • Spring Creek Elementary School, 217 Scholl St. in State College

  • State College Halal Gyro, 137 E. Beaver Ave. in State College

  • State College Little League Sichler Field, 245 Villa Crest Drive in State College

  • Subway No. 15538, 875 N. Eagle Valley Road in Milesburg

  • Subway, 1718 S. Atherton St. in State College

  • Subway, 2790 W. College Ave. in State College

  • Sweets of Gold, 200-1 Mill St. in Milesburg

  • That Oriental Store, 451 Railroad Ave. in State College

  • The Handy Pantry, 114 Cottontail Lane in Howard

  • The Meandering Mallard Coffee House, 106 E. Main St. in Millheim

  • The Naked Egg, 320 Pine Grove Road in State College

  • Tokyo Sushi and Hibachi, 428 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Troy’s Philadelphia-Style Hoagies, 2932 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

  • Uni-Mart No. 4094, 280 Walnut St. in Howard

  • Ville Billy’s, 2901 E. College Ave., Suite 974 in State College

  • Wingate Elementary School, Box 4 Route 220 in Wingate

  • Yogurt Express, 430 E. College Ave. in State College

  • Young Scholars of Central PA, 1530 Westerly Parkway in State College

Note: Occasionally, a listed address — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — is not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments for specific service locations.