Robinson Township's Thai Foon has found itself dishing out more than just pad Thai and curry after a routine health inspection resulted in a Consumer Alert from the Allegheny County Health Department. As reported by WPXI, the popular eatery, located at Settlers Ridge, accrued a stomach-churning total of 18 violations, including four that were earmarked as high-risk for foodborne illnesses. It happened during an inspection on Monday.
Inspectors didn't have to dig deep to uncover issues that could make patrons lose their appetites – among the troubling finds were dented cans lounging in the dry storage, the unwelcome presence of a mold-like substance in the soda machine, and an employee giving the dish machine drain board a double life as a food prep table, which the employee was found portioning noodles on. Thai Foon's relationship with hygiene and safety protocols seems to be as tangled as a bowl of noodles, given that they've already been in the limelight for an immigration raid earlier this year, reported by Audacy.
Other high-risk violations tallied in the inspection scorecard included an employee's casual transition from touching their face and phone to food prep without washing hands or switching gloves. Audacy uncovered details about the poorly maintained hygiene involving can opener blades, deli slicer blades, and wire ladles.
To get the Consumer Alert sign taken down, Thai Foon needs to send its head chef to a Certified Food Protection Manager course, put together a proper cleaning schedule, and fix all the issues found during the inspection. Inspectors showed up to find no certified manager on site—though one did arrive halfway through. Now, the restaurant has 10 days to get its act together before a follow-up inspection to make sure everything’s been cleaned up and corrected.
The full spectrum of concerns and the current status of the Consumer Alert are open for public digestion on the Health Department's website.
