This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Several mid-valley bars racked up multiple health violations between 2010 and 2011 — one receiving more than five dozen dings — according to Salt Lake County inspection records.
The top offender was Midvale's Three Alarm Saloon at 7273 S. State St., where inspectors found 65 violations in October 2010. Of those violations, nine were critical and 56 were noncritical.
The next in line: The Huddle Sports Bar and Grill at 2400 E. Fort Union Blvd. in Cottonwood Heights and Midvale's Oscars Social Club at 8136 S. State St. Huddle received 33 write-ups during a May inspection (four critical, 29 noncritical) while Oscars logged 17 in January (three critical and 14 noncritical).
However, the owners and mangers of those establishments say they take pride in their businesses. They don't think their bars should be cast as dimly lit dives.
Although the number of health violations for the three bars might seem shockingly high, Tom Trevino, food protection supervisor for the Salt Lake Valley Health Department, said none of the issues raised at mid-valley bars were serious enough to require a shutdown.
"To get shut down, they'd have to create an imminent health hazard," said Trevino, citing sewer backups, a lack of water or the inability to sanitize dishes as possible reasons for an automatic closure.
In Three Alarm's case, critical violations included eggs stored above ready-to-eat foods, food packages without date stamps, ice machines with unclean interiors, dirty wall and ceiling fans, and the absence of a hand-washing sink at the back bar.
Three Alarm's noncritical violations ranged from the inability to verify food-handler training to cardboard being used as shelf liners. The inspection also found glassware being stacked together clean, but wet, and dirty floors in the kitchen and bar.
Sandy Marcroft, manager of Three Alarm, said the October 2010 write-up spurred some changes.
"We put hand sinks in place, we had to resurface some floors and replace a few tiles," Marcroft said. Other updates included replacing drywall with plastic-coated material.
"We had the repairs done within 10 days," Marcroft added.
A follow-up inspection at Three Alarm shrunk the list of offenses to two critical violations and 15 noncritical ones. The most serious problems were these: The refrigerator still had undated meat inside and the back-bar sink lacked a sign designating it as a hand-washing station.
Although Three Alarm is due for another inspection, Trevino said a rash of new hires, and the training those employees require, has set the health department's work back a little. His team currently inspects about 4,000 restaurants.
Purchased in 2006, the Huddle has had a relatively clean inspection record, according to owner Scott St. Clair — until its recent tally of 33 no-nos.
"The whole bar is only 6-1/2 years old," St. Clair said, touting his establishment as having top-of-the-line equipment and spotless bathrooms. About a mile from the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, the watering hole caters to a vibrant ski crowd and customers from nearby east-side neighborhoods.
The health department found four critical violations at the Huddle: Eggs stored above ready-to-eat food in a cooler, dirty surfaces in a reach-in cooler, an unclean can opener and an "extremely unclean" soda-dispenser gun. Noncritical violations included burned-out lights, damaged walls and floors, a leaky faucet, dirty fan covers, an unclean microwave interior and a floor mop that had not been hung up to dry.
"A lot of it seemed nitpicky," St. Clair said, adding that the inspector checked out their food and freezer temperatures and "we were fine there."
A rebound inspection on May 31 showed marked improvements with just seven remaining violations, one of them critical. The most serious violation was this: The interior surfaces of the reach-in cooler still did not pass inspectors' muster.
For the 38-year-old St. Clair, the bustling neighborhood sports bar combines his loves of sports and people. The Huddle boasts 24 50-inch flat screen televisions, two 8-foot projectors and a menu that includes salads, shrimp tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and homemade salsa and chili verde.
Trevino said his staff inspects food and beverage areas of bars, checking for proper temperatures, sanitation, cross-contamination, food-handlers cards and certification of food managers. While dirty soda guns and holsters are listed as a critical violation, Trevino said the likelihood of someone getting sick from one is "significantly less than from food held out of temperature."
As for Oscars, the bar had three critical violations dealing with soiled shelves, a dirty can opener and an unclean ice machine interior.
"(Inspectors) come in the day time usually and it's a surprise visit," Oscars owner Brock Padilla said. "It's the luck of the draw if they come after a busy night."
Padilla voiced pride in the business he's owned for the past five years, noting that in July he hired a certified food manager to oversee handling and preparation of the culinary aspects of his sports bar.
"The building is our biggest struggle," Padilla said. "A crack in a plastic light shield will give you a noncritical violation."
Recent upgrades to the watering hole include replacing wood shelves with stainless steel. Cleaning schedules also have been posted to ensure that chores get done in routine fashion.
When Padilla acquired the business, he said the bar had carpeted walls. Those were immediately replaced with wood, he said. His other focus has been to increase food sales from 10 percent to up to 30 percent of the business's total sales.
"Food is a great way to get people into your establishment," Padilla said.
Instead of dwelling on his bar's past dings, Padilla was quick to point out an Oscars highlight: steak dinner Thursdays. The special runs for $6.75.
Health violations at mid-valley bars, 2010-2011
Number
City Violations of bars
Murray 112 11
Midvale 101* 6
Cottonwood
Heights 41 2
Holladay 15 3
* One bar produced 65 of those violations.
For more information, go to http://www.utahsright.com/h_inspections.php, which contains a link to the Salt Lake Valley Health Department's inspection records.