Restaurant Inspections: Papa John's, Dairy Queen

From Feb. 22 to March 1 , the state health department inspected a few restaurants in the Burke and Fairfax Station areas: Papa John's, Dairy Queen and Big Bite Pizza.

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.

Big Bite Pizza
9413B Old Burke Lake Rd
Date of inspection: Feb. 28
Critical: One or more of the elements of an effective employee health policy is either missing or incomplete. A complete employee health policy is required to be in place at the food establishment.
Critical (corrected during inspection): Working containers of poisonous and toxic materials are not properly labeled with a common name.
Non-critical: Food stored on the floor and/or food stored less than six inches off the floor inside the walk-in freezer.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Food items that are not easily identified by appearance were observed without a label.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Wet wiping cloths used for wiping counters and other equipment surfaces were observed stored on the counter.
Non-critical: Equipment is not designed and constructed to be durable.
Non-critical: The operator is not testing the chemical sanitizing solution to ensure proper concentration of the solution.
Non-critical: There is no adequate chlorine test kit located in the facility for monitoring the concentration of the chemical sanitizing solutions.

Dairy Queen
9011 Silverbrook Rd
Date of inspection: Feb. 27
No violations were found during the inspection.

Papa John’s Pizza
9013 Silverbrook Rd
Date of inspection: Feb. 27
Critical (corrected during inspection): The Quaternary ammonium is not being used in accordance with law or the manufacturer's use directions. Tested above 400ppm.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): Observed that poisonous and toxic materials are not properly stored to prevent the contamination of food, equipment, utensils, linens or single service items. Observed spray cleaners on the shelf along with pizza boxes.
Non-critical (corrected during inspection): There was no temperature measuring device located in the following cold or hot holding equipment in the warmest part near the door: The four door pizza prep cooler.
Non-critical: There is no cover to the feminine napkin refuse container in the unisex bathroom.