The Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued Blazin Steaks at the Mililani Shopping Center a red placard and ordered it closed. The shutdown, which took effect Friday, September 25, came after the restaurant failed to demonstrate it could maintain proper temperature control across multiple inspections.
The closure covers the storefront at 95-221 Kīpapa Drive in Mililani, operated by SZAM Inc., according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Inspectors found repeated failures to keep food at safe temperatures, and the restaurant's refrigeration units couldn't keep temperature-controlled foods at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, the threshold state health officials say helps prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying to levels that could cause foodborne illness.
Inspection Findings at STRAITS HAWAII
At STRAITS HAWAII, inspectors found all refrigerators onsite holding food at unsafe temperatures and advised that any ready-to-eat, temperature-controlled food held above 41°F for more than 24 hours be discarded, according to the inspection record.
The same inspection at STRAITS HAWAII found several cooked, ready-to-eat foods carrying date marks that exceeded the seven days allowed, while other cooked items had no date marks at all. Separately, Blazin Steaks had insufficient cold-holding equipment to maintain proper food temperatures, a shortfall the health department says must be fixed before the restaurant can reopen.
Handwashing and Dishwashing Findings at STRAITS HAWAII
At STRAITS HAWAII, inspectors noted no soap available at the rear prep area hand-washing sink, alongside missing paper towels and sinks that were obstructed or used improperly, according to the same inspection record. No chlorine sanitizer was detected in the dish machine, a lapse that leaves plates and utensils without proper disinfection after washing.
The STRAITS HAWAII inspection also measured a maximum water temperature of 85°F in the dish machine, below the 120°F minimum for machine washing, while a nearby faucet reached 91°F, below the 110°F minimum for sink washing.
What It Takes to Reopen
Before Blazin Steaks can serve customers again, it must ensure temperature-controlled foods are held at 41°F or below and have enough cold-holding equipment on hand to maintain those safe temperatures, per the Star-Advertiser's report on the closure. The restaurant must remain shut until every violation is corrected, and a follow-up inspection was scheduled for Monday. Diners can look up restaurant placard colors and inspection reports at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/soh.
Red placards remain rare in Hawaiʻi's restaurant inspection system. From July 2014 through 2016, only three eateries statewide had ever received one, all on Oahu in 2015, with none issued in 2016, according to data reported by KHON2. The outlet also reported that the share of restaurants receiving yellow placards statewide had fallen from about a third when the color-coded program began to roughly 20 percent, with the department maintaining a public website where diners can look up a restaurant's placard color and inspection history.
Other Oahu restaurants have faced similar shutdowns and clawed their way back. A Subway location in Kunia received a red placard on July 17 after a routine inspection found all four refrigeration units, including the walk-in refrigerator, operating above the required temperature, KITV reported. That store was authorized to reopen just days later, on July 21, after a follow-up inspection found all critical violations resolved.
