March 1, 2016

By Nayah James

In November, public health inspectors gave the Dining Hall an 82 out of 100 and the Cyber Café an 85. However, as of January, workers have gone the extra mile in applying themselves, earning A’s across the board.

The Dining Hall’s Main Chef Mynor Rivera stated, “We care. We like to keep sanitation at 100 points and, every two weeks, we follow through with internal inspections.”

After the most recent inspection, the Cyber Café earned a 97 and the Dining Hall earned a 91.

Director of Auxiliary Services, Debra Kash, gave her opinion on the sanitation improvement.

“Quick fixes, I think, are positive and one of things Quest takes pride in is their sanitation,” Kash said.

The lower grade for the Dining Hall could be connected to its age and outdated equipment.

“More so than Cyber, the Dining Hall is an outdated kitchen that we’ve had some challenges with,” Kash said. “As for other improvements, we are just waiting for the equipment to come in. We’re looking forward to the renovation in a few years.”

In November, inspectors cited the Cyber Café for inadequate water pressure at the hand sink; not removing or replacing an unused break warmer; not having soap or paper towels in the dish room or hand sink; and storing toxic chemicals such as degreaser and the wipe bucket on the prep counter.

The Dining Hall’s inspection in 2015 also included a few minor violations such as pieces of unused or broken equipment needing to be replaced or removed and keeping food like cream cheese refrigerated at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

“We don’t wait, we take care of things we can quickly correct right away, as soon as it’s written up,” said Victor Soriano, food services director.

Some specific sanitation and hazardous violations that needed correction included the flooring in the kitchen area. The flooring had missing or broken tiles that needed repair and the flaking or peeling paint on walls needing repair.

By January, workers had turned things around and inspectors were only able to cite Cyber for not having paper towels at the backhand sink. The Dining Hall was cited for needing a mechanical refrigerator provided at the tossed salad station; eliminating the gap at the exterior doors to prevent pests; and the damaged floor still needing to be fixed with approved materials.

jamenaya@my.dom.edu