Edmonton’s Dynasty Century Palace Restaurant briefly shut down due to cockroaches

For the second time in less than a month, a downtown Edmonton restaurant was shut down by Alberta Health Services for unsanitary conditions, including cockroaches in the kitchen and food being stored in unsafe conditions.

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Dynasty Century Palace Restaurant, located at 9700 105 Ave. in Chinatown, was put under a closure order on October 16. The restaurant is a gathering place for the city’s Chinese community and has a history of health code violations.

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AHS noted nearly two dozen issues that could be “dangerous to the public health or which might hinder in any manner the prevention or suppression of disease,” including:

Cockroaches

• Evidence of cockroach infestation, with one live and one dead cockroach seen on the floor of the cook line.
• Effective pest control monitoring program was not in place; there were no records available at the time of inspection.
• Glue boards were missing on many of the walls throughout the facility and they were placed in a manner that was not effective at trapping cockroaches.

Food safety

• Some foods were partially covered and/or gave access to the cockroaches or other potential sources of contamination.
• Foods, including cooked beans, garlic in oil and perishable sauces were noted at room temperature.
• Hot holding of various high-risk foods, including buns with perishable fillings and non-steamed dim sum items, were noted between 40 C and 50 C.
• Multiple food containers were stacked so the bottom of one container was in direct contact with the food beneath.
• Raw meat was stored above and beside ready-to-eat foods, vegetables, and cooked foods in the cooler.
• A written food safety program was created but the plan was not implemented or utilized by staff or in a format that could be utilized by staff.
• Containers of sauces stored directly on the floor in the kitchen and storage areas.

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Dirty dishes

• Containers for storing dishes and utensils were in poor condition and were broken in multiple places.
• Clean dishes and utensils were stored in bins that have debris, grease, and grime buildup.
• Bowls were being used as scoops and were stored with the high touch surfaces in direct contact with the food ingredient.

Sanitation

• Wet and dirty cleaning cloths on countertops, buckets of sanitizer too weak to be effective.
• Many unlabeled bottles or buckets with a clear liquid were noted throughout the kitchen.
• Reusable, non-disposable orange rubber kitchen gloves appeared to have been used for both food handling and washing dirty dishes. AHS said an employee was seen coming out of the staff washroom wearing orange rubber gloves. The staff member continued to wash dishes without washing their hands.
• No supervisory or management personnel in the facility had recognized qualifications in food sanitation.
• Poor sanitation noted throughout the whole facility:
  – Food debris and grease were noted on exterior of equipment.
  – High touch surfaces, underneath and on top of shelves, food equipment, grease bins, garbage containers, electrical outlines, pipes, and plumbing lines were noted in an unsanitary condition.
  – Grease was dripping from the ventilation canopy on the cook line.
• Exhaust canopy was missing filters preventing the equipment from adequately removing grease-laden vapors.

The restaurant has a history of poor conditions. Sanitation and food safety issues have been highlighted several times in the two years’ worth of inspection reports posted online by AHS.

Some of the issues noted in the past include wooden dim sum bowls having pieces of food gunk or debris built up on the inside, food being stored or thawed improperly and at dangerous temperatures, and dirty rags being used alongside inadequate and inconsistent cleaning solutions, and past evidence of cockroaches.

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AHS said the most recent inspection showed the restaurant was in apparent contravention of an executive order previously issued on September 19, 2017.

The restaurant’s owner, Thang (Tom) Ly, was ordered to fulfill a long list of demands, including:

• Provide AHS with a full list of all employees who handle food
• Ensure supervisors have a working knowledge of acceptable food safety practices and has taken an approved food safety training course
• Cease and desist the practice of storing high risk perishable foods at room temperature
• Store food containers off of the floor and in a manner that prevents cross contamination
• Ensure all foods are adequately covered/protected and in pest – proof containers
• Re-organize the freezers and the coolers to prevent cross-contamination
• Stop storing scoops or bowls in direct contact with products
• Clearly label all chemicals, cleansers and similar agents
• Make staff stop using the same gloves to wash dirty dishes and handle or prepare foods, and ensure they wash their hands before and after handing food
• Hire a pest control company to eliminate to cockroach infestation and follow through with measure to prevent a re-occurrence, including not removing or tampering with traps
• Repair the building to prevent further cockroach infestations
• Stop using and remove all broken, damaged, or otherwise unsuitable equipment, utensils, bins, and containers from the food premises.
• Sanitize utensils before use and clean them properly afterwards
• Keep wet cleaning cloths in an approved sanitizer solution when not in use
• Have a written sanitation program and ensure staff actually follow it

AHS said on Monday afternoon that a health inspector returned to the restaurant on Saturday, Oct. 22, and all of the above conditions had been met so the eatery was able to reopen.

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In 2016, owner of the restaurant was fined $42,000 after health inspectors found cockroaches and filthy kitchen conditions back then as well, according to the Edmonton Journal.

To search recent restaurant inspections in Edmonton, visit this website. To see AHS health enforcement orders, visit this website.