Restaurant Inspections: China Express and Subway

Between Sept. 26 and Oct.4, restaurants in the Burke and Fairfax Station areas were inspected. For prior restaurant inspection reports, click here.

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy to see number rating to post in the front window.

That said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

Inspectors grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

Below, find the latest restaurant inspection from the Virginia Department of Health. These inspections reflect visits from inspectors during the last few weeks. Some of the violations were corrected immediately during the recent inspections.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

China Express
5712 Union Mill Rd
Date of inspection: Oct. 4
Critical: One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete.
Critical (corrected during inspection): Raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food in the refrigeration unit. Raw beef and raw chicken stored over cooked rice in the walk-in refrigerator.
Critical: Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food that is prepared on site is not used or discarded within 24 hours of preparation and was not observed to be date marked.
Critical: Food items for which time rather than temperature is used as a control is not marked or otherwise identified to indicate the time that is four hours past the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control.
Critical: Raw and/or undercooked foods are provided on the menu, menu board, table tent or brochure without proper disclosure.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed the handsink at the sushi station being used to rinse equipment, food debris observed in basin.
Non-critical: Methods used for cooling were not adequate to facilitate proper cooling.
Non-critical: Wet wiping cloths used for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces at the sushi station were observed stored on the counter.
Non-critical: Observed that the floor in the dry storage area is in need of cleaning, food debris and grease accumulation was observed.

Domino’s Pizza
7839-D Rolling Road
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
Non-critical: The door of the walk-in cooler is not tightly self closing.

Papa John’s Pizza
9013 Silverbrook Road
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
Critical: One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete.
Critical (corrected during inspection): Observed cans of Raid and Ant and Roach spray throughout the facility.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): There was no temperature measuring device located in the walk-in cooler.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Food storage containers found stacked while wet after cleaning and chemical sanitization.
Non-critical: The door gaskets of the following unit(s) are (missing, damaged) for walk-in cooler.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed that handwashing sinks are unclean and are not being maintained.
Non-critical: There is no cover to the feminine napkin refuse container in the ladies room stall.
Non-critical: Absence of no-smoking signs or international no-smoking signs in non-smoking area.

Subway
9011 Silverbrook Road #103
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
Critical (corrected during inspection): There is no certified food manager present at the beginning of the inspection.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Surfaces of ice dispenser and enclosed components of equipment were observed with black mold and not being cleaned as required.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Food storage containers were found stacked while wet after cleaning and chemical sanitization.
Non-critical: Absence of no-smoking signs or international no-smoking signs in non-smoking area.

Subway
8086 Rolling Road
Date of inspection: Sept. 27
No violations were found during the inspection.