Gourmet Wok Restaurant and Lounge located at 1630 Duvall Ave NE, Renton, WA was closed by a Public Health food inspector on Friday, January 18, 2019, at 3:30 pm due to the following food safety violations:
- Malfunctioning walk-in refrigerator
- Potentially hazardous foods at unsafe temperatures
- Red critical violations exceeding 90 points
Public Health Seattle & King County said the establishment may reopen once the inspector confirms the issues have been resolved.
Public Health helps the food establishment keep the risk of foodborne illness low through education and inspections. The agency says there are 2 basic causes of foodborne illness that it wants to protect against with safe food handling practices.
- Contamination of food by food workers’ hands, other foods, or food preparation surfaces. This is why hand washing, no bare hand contact with ready to eat foods and the washing, rinsing and sanitizing of food preparation surfaces is vitally important.
- Temperature control: Foods that provide a good environment for the growth of the bacteria that cause foodborne illness are called potentially hazardous foods. The bacteria grow quickly in “the danger zone,” 41°F to 135°F of these foods. Therefore, these foods must be cooked to temperatures that will kill the bacteria, then kept hot (over 135°) until served, or kept cold (under 41°) until served.
In a statement, Public Health said some safe food handling practices that, if not done properly, are more likely to lead to foodborne illnesses. The inspector specifically observes and documents these food handling practices during the inspection. If any of these riskiest practices are not done properly, the establishment is given a red critical violation on the inspection, the risk is taken care of immediately, and the manager is taught the correct procedure or method. Based on the risk caused by the violation, a return inspection and education will be done. Finally, if a food establishment hasn’t improved its practices after additional education and direction, the establishment will be closed.
Reasons for the immediate closure of a food service establishment
- A high score on the routine inspection*
- Sewage backing up in a kitchen and/or bathroom
- No hot water/running water
- Electricity goes out
- Other imminent health hazards: broken refrigeration, damage caused by accidents or natural disasters, or when the establishment is linked to a foodborne illness outbreak
- Other: No permit to be operating (The permit assures that they have met all of the structural & equipment requirements for the menu items they are going to serve); the owner/manager interferes with the inspector’s ability to do her/his duties.
*The inspection is based on a 400 point system. The violations are added up between red and blue violations. If the total red critical violations are 90 or more, or the total of red and blue is 120 or more, then the establishment will be closed.
Renton shares a border with Seattle’s southern neighborhoods. It is the location of The Boeing Company’s 737 production facility.
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