Public health report: Health department resolves restaurant violations, begins retail inspections

Five local businesses were cited for health violations in January, and all five have mitigated the issues that prompted the citations, according to the city’s Health Department.

That’s out of a total of 41 retailers and restaurants inspected in January, 

Health Department inspectors also reported that all the violations they had identified during restaurant inspections between Dec. 5 and 17 have been resolved.

Health complaints

Additionally, the Health Department acted on nine new complaints reported to the department between Dec. 17 and Jan. 20. 

The department received one trash-related complaint and three dumpster-related complaints, which it has since resolved with property owners, as well as one trash complaint that was still open as of Feb. 4. 

A third report of a trash violation resulted in the department bringing a court complaint against the property’s owners. It received two reports of rodent activity, both of which also resulted in the department filing court complaints. 

It also received a complaint from a resident who found cockroaches and mold at their apartment that is still unresolved and which the department intends to address by bringing a civil charge against the owner.

During that period, the department also resolved two housing complaints and one trash complaint it had received earlier in December.

Lodging inspections

On Dec. 22 and Jan 5, the Health Department conducted 12 inspections at Brandeis University lodgings. It found violations in six of those cases: two at the Pomerantz residence hall and once each at the Hassenfeld residence hall, Shapiro House, The Village (the Lorraine and Jack N. Friedman House), and Ridgewood. The violations involved loose paint in bathrooms, carpets that required repair, a broken toilet and sink, and a trash room that required repainting. All six were resolved by Jan. 20.

In January the department also inspected the Hurley House recovery home and nine other privately owned lodging house properties, none of which had any recorded violations.

Retail and restaurants

Below is a summary of the violations at each of the five retail establishments and restaurants where inspectors found violations between Jan. 2 and Jan. 20. Violations that inspectors designated to be critical are marked with an asterisk. 

Taste House Restaurant, 800 Lexington St., on Jan. 7

Inspectors identified the following instances of noncompliance with Waltham’s safety regulations:

• Flooring under a grill and fryolater that required cleaning.
• Flooring in a walk-in freezer that required cleaning.
• Missing ceiling tiles in a kitchen.

The owners were given five days to address these issues, which were corrected by the time of publication.

Walgreens, 15–21 Main St., on Jan. 8

Inspectors identified the following instance of noncompliance with Waltham’s safety regulations:

• Damaged ceiling tiles that needed to be replaced.

The owners were given five days to address these issues, which were corrected by the time of publication.

CVS Pharmacy, 800 Lexington St., on Jan. 9

Inspectors identified the following instance of noncompliance with Waltham’s safety regulations:

• Waterstained ceiling tiles that needed to be replaced.

The owners were given five days to address these issues, which were corrected by the time of publication.

New World Gas, 487 Main St., on Jan. 12

Inspectors identified the following instance of noncompliance with Waltham’s safety regulations:

• Dented food items that needed to be removed.

The owners were given five days to address these issues, which were corrected by the time of publication.

Chapin Grocery, 220 River St., on Jan. 16

Inspectors identified the following instance of noncompliance with Waltham’s safety regulations:

• Floor tiles beneath a toilet that required repair.

The owners were given five days to address these issues, which were corrected by the time of publication.

About Health Department inspections

The city’s Health Department conducts regular inspections of housing and food establishments to ensure compliance with the city’s safety codes. Twice a year it inspects each of the city’s restaurants, schools, lodging houses, nursing homes and any other businesses that serve food or are regulated by specific Waltham health codes to make sure they comply with the city’s safety regulations. Its inspectors also investigate complaints about pests, trash management on private properties and other environmental hazards.

It’s common for establishments to have minor violations during inspections, and when a business is found to be unsatisfactory, the department sets a deadline for the owners to correct any violations — usually five days from the date of inspection. Health Department Inspector Ivan Colon told The Waltham Times that restaurants and other businesses generally resolve all of their violations by the deadline. 

Colon said if the Health Department finds a violation at a restaurant or other food establishment that causes immediate and severe health concerns, or finds three or more violations the department counts as “critical,” it will close the business until it determines the business is safe for patrons.

All information was obtained from public records requests to the Waltham Heath Department.