Restaurant Report Card: Texas Roadhouse among Lincoln food violators

Among the restaurants recently inspected by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, popular dining chain Texas Roadhouse received the most

Among them include employees not washing their hands or changing gloves between tasks, including after handling raw meat.

During the June 6 inspection, inspectors observed employees using the same utensils for both raw and cooked foods. They also noted chicken had to be returned to the grill to be cooked to an appropriate temperature.

Other violations include chili not being properly cooled for storage and green beans in a warmer that were too cool.

Raw meat was also thrown out because it was not being held at proper cooling temperatures. Knives were also found with food residue.

Texas Roadhouse released the following statement to 10/11 NOW:

During an April 30 inspection by the health department, inspectors recorded 16 food violations, including seven that were critical at Misty's North 11th Street location.

an employee was observed managing the salad bar with their bare hands. When confronted, the employee said they were unaware of the requirement.

The report stated that food being stored on a steam table was about 30 degrees below the minimum temperature of 165 degrees. Other items like soup and prime rib had to be thrown away because it wasn't property cooled for storage inside the cooler. Also during the inspection, the dish machine in the kitchen and bar was found to not be sanitizing dishes.

10/11 NOW's requests for comment were not returned.

Fifteen health violations were discovered during the inspection of Teriyaki Madness May 8.

At the time, inspectors logged five critical or priority violations, including raw chicken stored among noodles and cooked chicken inside a cooler,

The grill was also found to be improperly working with hot and cool spots, causing chicken to be put back on the grill to reach the desirable temperature. The report also noted that items intended to be prepped for storage were left out for a period of time and had started getting warm.

Five employees also lacked current food handler permits required by the Lincoln Food Code. The restaurant also did not have a certified food manager, which is also a critical health violations.

Jodi Boyce, vice president of marketing, responded to 10/11 NOW's request for comment with the following statement:

Raising Cane's on South 58th Street was inspected by the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department June 5.

inspectors recorded ten health violations, including two critical.

They include an employee wiping their hands on an apron without washing them, as well as several employees not having proper food permits. A hand soap dispenser was also not properly working near an employee sink, the report stated. Staff was also unaware of the location of a food thermometer.

Southern Hospitality Ventures, Inc., which owns the Lincoln location released the following statement to 10/11 NOW:

The Lincoln-based fast food restaurant's North 27th Street location was inspected by the health department June 3, where one priority violation was found among eight total.

taco meat prepared for storage was not properly cooled and had to be tossed out. Inspectors also noted a residue on clean utensils and storage containers.

A backsplash and dispenser arms on a soda machine also contained a build up of residue, as did the sides of the fryer and grill areas.

Janice Moore, who serves as vice president of marketing provided 10/11 NOW with the following statement: