The College-owned Hanover Inn recently received a failing grade in its biannual food-service health inspection. The Inn, which operates several restaurants including the Daniel Webster Room, Zin's Wine Bistro, the Terrace and a catering service, received a score of 63 out of a scale of 100 points, as well as five critical violations of the health code, in a health inspection conducted on July 7.
Matt Marshall, the manager of the Hanover Inn, confirmed that the health inspector found several problems throughout the Inn's kitchen during the examination. He commented that the Hanover Inn has since corrected those problems.
While some of the violations may seem minor, Marshall said he believes they must be addressed in a serious fashion.
"From the Health Department's point of view, they consider them major, and that's why we had to take immediate action," Marshall said.
Gary Quackenbush, a former district sanitarian for the state of New Hampshire, conducted the health examination for the Town of Hanover. Quackenbush is employed by the towns of Hanover and Lebanon as a consultant to examine local dining establishments, since a state health examiner is not always available to perform the inspections.
While the Town of Hanover does not penalize local establishments for violations of the health code, all food-service inspection reports are forwarded to the State Health Department which has the power to fine or even close a restaurant for serious violations.
According to Quackenbush, restaurants begin a food-service establishment inspection with a total score of one-hundred. As violations are discovered, the establishment's score is deducted according to the severity of the offense registered. The inspection also distinguishes between non-critical offenses, which deduct one to two points per violation, and critical violations which concur a five-point deduction. Receiving a total of five critical violations, the Hanover Inn's total transgressions amounted overall to a 37-point deduction.
The inspection report cites multiple violations relating to the cooking and service of food at the Inn. The inspector discovered two kitchen refrigerators operating at temperatures above the required 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Direct contact between employees' hands and food is also strictly prohibited. The Hanover Inn was cited for a member of its wait staff handling loaves of bread without the use of gloves. Furthermore, the inspector witnessed the Inn baker using his bare hands to compress a cake.
The Hanover Inn reportedly violated regulations requiring kitchen employees to consume food away from work areas within the kitchen, as the Inn baker was viewed eating his lunch on the table he uses to bake.
The inspection report further notes that the Inn was not sufficiently sanitizing the equipment used to cook its foodstuffs, and cites the presence of small fruit flies throughout the Inn's kitchen.
The State of New Hampshire expects restaurants to receive a score of seventy points without any critical violations. A restaurant receiving a score of ninety with two critical violations can still create a problem, Quackenbush said.
According to Quackenbush, a follow-up inspection will take place to ensure that all of the critical violations have been corrected.
"I certainly expect that they will have addressed them, since the Hanover Inn traditionally responds to the inspections," Quackenbush said.
"They had some issues that they wanted us to correct, and we've done that," Marshall said. "We believe all the problems have pretty much been corrected."
Adam Keller, executive vice president for finance and administration, oversees the Hanover Inn for the College, but was unable to be reached for comment regarding the Inn's violations.
