[Feature Story: Draft 2] Some College Cafeterias are Sparkling Clean, Others a Little Less Sanitary
Emily Katz
May 11, 2011
The phone rang around nine in the morning on November 19th, 2010, as Wilfredo Granell and his colleagues who work at The New School’s Café 55 were serving breakfast. On the other end of the phone was his supervisor, calling to inform the staff that the inspectors were here—two female inspectors from the New York City Department of Health had arrived unexpectedly to give the facility a sanitation inspection grade.
The inspectors checked that thermometers were installed in all the devices and “took temperatures for everything,” including the oven, refrigerator, and the freezer according to Wilfredo. He recounted that he wasn’t particularly nervous about the surprise inspection. He had received food safety training at orientation and has worked for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services for three years. “Rags cannot be on top of anything but the sanitizer bucket,” said Wilfredo, as he describes the many sanitary precautions he takes. He carries a deli meat thermometer in the pocket of his white chef shirt. The dining services staff go through lots of pairs of plastic gloves, as they have to wear a new pair every time they make a new sandwich or salad to avoid cross contamination. As students work on their art projects in Café 55, the cleaning crew regularly stops by to sweep the floor and take out the trash.
It has been nearly a year since the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene implemented the new sanitary inspection grading system for restaurants. The new system mandates the posting of sanitary inspection grades near restaurant entrances. “Letter grading enables diners to make more informed choices about where to eat,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, the New York City Health Commissioner in the press release last year.
College dining facilities are subject to the same sanitary inspections, and the letter grades reveal that some are performing well while others have disappointed students who don’t always have a choice but to spend their meal plan money and eat at their school’s cafeteria—sanitary or not.
The grading rubric is based on a points system for sanitary violations. Failing to store food at the right temperature is considered a “public health hazard” and will attribute at least 7 points, while the presence of rats or mice in the facility’s food or non-food areas, considered a “critical violation,” triggers at least 5 points. A “general violation,” such as handling food with bare hands, adds at least 2 points. The lower the total score the better. An inspection score of 0-13 points merits an A grade, 14-27 points for a B, and 28 or more points for a score of C. Letter Grade or Grade Pending card needs to be “conspicuously posted and visible to passerby,” according to the Department of Health website.
According to the NYC Restaurant Inspection Information available on the Department of Health website, the inspection of The New School dining facilities located at 55 West 13th street resulted in 7 points of sanitary violations and the issuance of an A Grade card. The facility had one “critical violation” and was cited for improper storage and use of sanitized equipment and utensils.
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Austin Delaney, a sophomore and Information Technology major at Pace University, and his friends were in for a shock when they arrived at the campus cafeteria, Café 101. On the door was a note stating that the establishment had been shut down by the New York City Department of Health. According to Austin, the president of the University, who was amonst the students, “turned red in the face” and stormed off to his office. As the president of the University got on the phone with Lackmann Culinary Serivces, Austin and his friends created the Facebook group “Boycott of Pace/Lackmann Food Services.”
According to the NYC Restaurants Inspection Results, the cafeteria had received 79 points, far exceeding the 28 points that merits a C grade. The same document shows that the cafeteria had nine instances of “critical violations,” which included food workers not using proper utensils to eliminate bare hand contact with food, the absence of thermometers in food storage and preparation facilities, the lack of hot and cold water for cleanliness, and the absence of hand washing facilities near food preparation area. The inspectors also observed tobacco use and food workers in food preparation and storage areas. According to the Department of Health, food establishments that receive a B or C grade have the option of posting a “Grade Pending” card and appeal to the Health Department’s Administrative Tribunal. However, the condition of Café 101 merited an immediate shut down.
With no cafeteria to eat at, the students could not use their meal plan money to purchase food; rather, they had to eat at local eateries and present receipts for reimbursements from the university.
Student groups met with the university president. “We wanted accountability,” said Austin, “the dining services and administration were blaming each other.”
Stephen J. Friedman, the President of Pace University wrote in a letter to parents, “We understand that cafeteria service is an important part of daily life for college students.” Friedman called Lackmann’s behavior “inexcusable,” and in period of time that the cafeteria was closed, Lackmann was fired and Chartwells, the same company that caters The New School, took over as the new campus dining service.
“There were hugely noticeable changes. The food looked much fresher, much more appealing,” said Austin.
According to Peter Taback, Senior Director of at the Office of Communications and External Affairs at The New School, the university has had a contract with Chartwells since 2002. Mr. Taback referred to Chartwells as a company of “experts who know how to serve, prepare and keep food sanitary.”
In a letter to Pace University students, Chartwells promised that it will “pursue the goal of achieving a letter grade A on the New York City Department of Health Inspection to gain [their] trust in dining service operations.”
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Nathan Wong, a freshman at New York University, eats at his college’s dining halls about twice a day. He feels that the dining services “gets the job done, are conveniently located, are well-stocked, and are efficient.”
Of the twelve New York University dining halls inspected, nine received A’s, two received B’s, and Hayden Hall, with 31 violation points, received a C. According to the NYC Restaurant Inspection Information, Hayden Hall had three instance of “critical violations,” including the evidence of mice present in food and non-food areas, the food was not protected from potential sources of contamination, and the food contact surfaces were not properly sanitized after each use. As of March 25, 2011, Hayden Hall has a “Grade Pending” card.
Nathan read about the grade that Hayden Hall received in the New York Times and feels that the C grade is “unacceptable.” He has only eaten at Hayden Hall a couple of times but didn’t really notice anything suspicious. The cafeteria serves “just normal college stuff,” like pizza, chicken and noodles. “But there’s a lot that goes behind the scenes,” Nathan said.
According to Owen Moore, the Director of Operations and Business Development for Campus Services at New York University, all dining locations on campus are inspected within the first 30 days they open.
“I won’t eat there until they have improved,” said Nathan, “then again, the food wasn’t that great there to begin with.”
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The New School’s Library Café, which “proudly brews Starbucks coffee, was also inspected on November 19th and received an A grade. Dariana Cepeda, 22, was serving customers when the inspectors came. She trained to wear gloves at all times and to always sanitize. She has to change the coffee every two hours and check temperatures frequently. The milk has to be kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and the measuring cups are labeled “nonfat,” “soy,” and “whole” to avoid cross-contamination. The inspectors tasted some of the “Outtakes” sandwiches and salads, which are made fresh daily in the kitchen on the second floor.
Dariana was very proud of the sanitation inspection grade her station received. “I was so excited! In the two years I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen roaches, no mice, no bugs,” she said, with a bright smile.
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