The Eagle has discovered dozens of D.C. health code violations cited for both the Terrace Dining Room and the Tenley Caf? in food establishment inspection reports filed within the past five years, nearly three weeks after AU mandated that next year's sophomores living on campus have at least a 75-block meal plan.
Since March 14, 2001, TDR has accumulated 31 violations, according to food establishment inspection reports sent to The Eagle.
Some of TDR's violations include unsanitary eating and cooking utensils, unsanitary food preparation surfaces, foods being kept at inappropriate temperatures and lack of good hygienic practices among personnel. One violation in September 2004 showed that TDR stored a box of vegetables on a trashcan.
Each health department violation is worth between two to six demerits depending on the severity. Of the 31 violations since March 2001, 22 were marked as "critical," a violation worth six demerits.
In the last health inspection report, dated April 21, 2005, TDR had 12 demerits for two critical violations including storage areas that were dirty and food product ingredients and single service items not being protected from contamination.
"A critical violation, in general, is a violation that has imminent danger to the public or can cause food poisoning," said Alice Jackson, a D.C. Department of Health sanitarian.
On March 8, 2002, TDR had its worst performance on a food safety inspection since 2001, and was cited for five critical violations, totaling 30 demerits. According to Jackson, if a food establishment is found to have six or more critical violations in one inspection, its operating license may automatically be suspended and the facility closed until they can be brought up to regulation standards. TDR was only one violation short.
Some of the violations TDR was cited for in the March 8 report included raw hamburger meat being stored at inappropriate temperatures and cottage cheese and fruit being too warm, which can possibly cause food-related illnesses due to bacteria like E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.
Each critical violation is taken very seriously in order to keep these pathogens away from humans, according to Jackson.
TDR is given 14 days to fix its violations from initial inspections, which it did, according to follow-up reports. The subsequent inspection report contained only one four-demerit violation for unlabeled food storage containers.
Yvonne Matteson, resident district manager for Bon App?tit Management Company, said she was aware how many violations TDR had accumulated, but said it is not easy to prevent those kinds of violations from occurring.
"[Violations are] very difficult to control," Matteson said. "When [the D.C. DOH] comes in, it is usually just before lunch, and at TDR there are 1,200 to 1,300 kids that are going to come in for lunch."
About 3,000 students come through TDR every day, according to Matteson. Of those students, she thinks they do not have a negative opinion of the cleanliness of TDR.
On the March 8, 2002 inspection, TDR earned a 70 percent passing score on its food safety and facility conditions, which is considered a "C" by the health department.
When asked whether Matteson would eat at a restaurant with a "C" on their door for their last health inspection, she said, "Yes ... but I'd like to know the information associated with what gave them a 'C.'"
Most college cafeterias in D.C. earn about a high "B" rating on their health inspections, according to Jackson. Jackson said most of the college cafeterias in D.C. are on about the same level of cleanliness. She also said she doesn't think TDR has anything outstanding in their types of violations.
Problems at Tenley Campus
Matteson, who has worked for the Bon Appetit Management Company for about 10 years, worked at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. before coming to AU. She is now in charge of TDR, the Marketplace and Tenley Campus' cafeteria, the Tenley Caf?.
The Tenley Caf? received 144 demerits for their 37 violations found in health department food establishment inspection reports since Jan. 14, 2000.
Some of the violations included food preparation surfaces not being cleaned and sanitized and using peeling spatulas, which can present a "choking hazard," according to a December 2001 report.
The latest report from the Tenley Caf?, taken Oct. 25, 2005, showed a violation of a loose sugar container opened and unprotected from cross-contamination. The manager also did not have his or her Certified Food Supervisor identification card, which is required by the District.
Matteson said it is extremely difficult for any food establishment to go violation free during an inspection, but TDR employees do their best to correct any problems.
"If there are violations that they find, or things that they find-which are always the case-anywhere that they go to inspect, whether it is here or another university or any food establishment ... we actually go through with the inspector ... so that they can be immediately pointed out if it is an infraction of the health department [regulations]," she said.
However, Jackson said even though it is unusual for a facility to go demerit-free, there are "a few facilities who have had a 100 percent [violation-free] inspection-but, you can always clean a floor."
TDR has implemented a progressive discipline process to correct health code violations among employees that enables them to correct their behavior before more severe discipline happens, Matteson said.
Students React
Some students were not surprised when they heard of the violations.
"I'm not surprised ... it just reinforces my dislike for TDR," said Alyssa Marulli, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, who said she has gotten sick from TDR before. Marulli said she ate cold cuts one day at TDR, and shortly after, felt very sick.
Marulli did not seek treatment and recovered soon after.
Matteson said she has not heard of anyone who had a food-borne illness from TDR or the Tenley Caf? going to the hospital or the health center.
Dan Bruey, director of the AU Health Center, confirmed in an e-mail that there have been no reported cases of food-related sickness at the health center that have been linked to TDR or Tenley Caf?.
E. coli is found in food or water that has traces of infected animal feces, and it can cause kidney failure and anemia. Salmonella is found in various infected foods, but an infected person can experience abdominal cramps, fever or more serious health problems. Campylobacter-infected undercooked chicken can lead to problems similar to those caused by salmonella.
Claire Norman, a freshman in CAS, said she understands why TDR has so many violations.
"I think the layout of the cafeteria makes it more prone to these violations; food is just everywhere and it is out all the time," she said.
Housing and Dining Programs said it was unaware of the violations TDR and Tenley Caf? have received over the past several years and usually are not required to know, unless the health department notifies them directly, according to Julie Weber, executive director of Housing and Dining.
"I am extremely confident that Bon App?tit does a great job ... Bon App?tit responds and fixes them as quickly as possible," she said. "Primarily, its Bon Appetit's responsibility to [comply with regulations] and we have great confidence they will."
Next year, Housing and Dining will require all sophomores living on campus to have at least a 75-block meal plan, which some students said is upsetting.
"It's because no one is going to [TDR] and they have to add all these rules to make them go there," Norman said.
Of the 3,500 students who have meal plans, most students are happy, according to Weber. She said many students eat a lot of food and seem to be generally pleased, and the decision will only affect only about 100 students who otherwise would not get a meal plan their sophomore year. Weber also said the university does not directly profit from the sales of meal plans.
Will Mount, Residence Hall Association president, declined to comment on the nature of TDR and Tenley Caf?'s violations without first-hand information. However, he said the RHA has setup a taskforce which is investigating other concerns students have with TDR.
Violations not uncommon
Other area colleges have had similar violations with their cafeteria services. The Script newspaper at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., reported in 2004 that their main cafeteria accumulated 261 violations in 17 inspections since 2001-the most violations of any other four-year university in their region.
Georgetown University's dining services refused to comment on their facilities' cleanliness and sanitization procedures.
Sodexho-Marriot Services was the food management company at AU listed on TDR and Tenley Caf?'s food establishment inspection reports prior to March 2001. Matteson joined Bon Appetit at AU shortly after they began operation. Bon Appetit operates the cafeterias of Goucher College in Towson, Md. and Gallaudet University in D.C., however neither school returned phone calls or messages about their sanitization procedures.
The D.C. DOH is now using a pass/fail system of grading food establishments, according to Jackson, but TDR has not been inspected under the new system yet. Jackson said the new pass/fail inspection system will be easier to pass. The D.C. DOH is not disclosing TDR and Tenley Caf?'s next date for their food safety inspection.
Matteson could not be reached for further comment on their reaction to the new inspection system.
"Primarily, it is Bon Appetit's responsibility to [comply with regulations] and we have great confidence they will," Weber said.0
