EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A Fountain restaurant has failed its routine health inspection for the third consecutive time, while several other Colorado Springs-area restaurants earned high marks in this week's Restaurant Roundup.
According to the inspection report, an employee ate food, handled raw meat, and left and re-entered the kitchen without washing their hands.
The inspector also found raw chicken and beef stored above vegetables, raising concerns about potential cross-contamination. Raw chicken was also found being held at an unsafe temperature.
This marks the third consecutive routine inspection Korean Garden has failed. The restaurant has passed each subsequent re-inspection, including this most recent one.
KRDO13 visited the restaurant to ask what steps management is taking to break the cycle and pass its routine inspections on the first attempt.
The employee working at the time declined to comment and provided a phone number for the manager. KRDO13 called and left a message but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
While Korean Garden continues to struggle with routine inspections, several other local restaurants earned high marks this week.
Arharn Thai, located near North Powers Boulevard and North Carefree Circle, received a perfect inspection score.
Three additional businesses also earned high scores:
Mochi Thai'm Donuts & Boba combines mochi-style doughnuts with boba drinks, but workers say food safety is just as important as the treats they serve.
Greg San Agustine of Mochi Thai'm Donuts and Boba said maintaining a clean environment is essential to building customer confidence.
"Me personally, I don't want to go to a restaurant — and the food could be amazing — but if the environment is all dirty, it's like I don't know if this food is safe to eat," San Agustine said.
Sakeo Williams of Mochi Thai'm Donuts & Boba said the team works to find ingredients that are edible for people with celiac disease, who must avoid gluten.
"We source all of our ingredients so we are safe for our community here," Williams said.
Mochi doughnuts look and taste a little different from traditional doughnuts, offering a distinct texture and flavor while delivering the same sweet treat customers know and love.
Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup Awards at your favorite restaurant as a sign that its kitchen has met the inspection standards. A high score means the kitchen has passed its routine health inspection with minimal violations.
Reminder: All high and low scores in this roundup are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.
Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.
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The post Restaurant Roundup: Fountain restaurant fails routine inspection for third time, gluten-free doughnuts earn high score appeared first on KRDO.
