RESTAURANT TO REOPEN AFTER COUNTY CLOSES IT FOR HEALTH VIOLATIONS

The King House Restaurant will reopen today after having been closed Tuesday by the Cape Girardeau County Health Department.

County inspectors closed the restaurant after recording 19 critical and 19 non-critical violations of state regulations. The violations were mainly procedural problems -- employees not washing their hands before handling food, storing some food items in cardboard boxes, some chicken stock was left out overnight and tongs were used to dispense noodles after the instrument had been left out overnight.

Some of the non-critical violations were dirty floors, a prep board that had not been washed and the kitchen was not properly lit.

Diane Gregory, the environmental public health specialist who conducted the inspection, said the violations were critical because of their potential to transmit disease. One thing the public health inspectors are looking to prevent is the transmission of hepatitis A, which can be spread when food handlers do not wash their hands.

Gregory and health department director Charlotte Craig met with the owners of King House on Wednesday and gave them a list of conditions they have to meet before the establishment can reopen for business.

Both the health department and the restaurant expected those conditions to be met and the restaurant to reopen today after being closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Tony Cheng, the owner of King House, was not available at the restaurant Wednesday afternoon to comment.

Craig said it is rare for the health department to close a business and it only happened three times last year. This is the third restaurant in Cape Girardeau County to be closed this year because of violations.

The length of time a restaurant is closed depends on the violation. Gregory said restaurants have been closed for an afternoon as plumbers worked to correct a sewer backup.

Craig said the department will work with business owners in an attempt to avoid posting closure notices on the restaurant doors. The King House was an exception because similar violations detected on April 21 were not corrected, she said.

Five county health department inspectors conduct yearly inspections on approximately 400 establishments. The department monitors everything from convenience stores that sell milk to busy restaurants and hospital and school cafeterias.

Inspectors check for procedural violations as well as faulty equipment. They inspect for pests, ventilation, food temperature and buffet procedures.

Craig said closing a restaurant can be beneficial as workers are able to attend to the violations without being distracted by daily business.