Alberta Health Services inspectors say The Thirsty Rooster Eatery and Bar was operating despite being issued a closure order this week.
On Dec. 19, AHS issued a closure order for The Thirsty Rooster, citing a list of critical violations found during the inspection. The following day, the restaurant remained “open in violation to the verbal closure order” and the inspector “clarified that closed was closed and that they were not to be in operation,” according to an Environmental Public Health Inspection report.
The alleged health and safety violations found include:
- Poor food handling practices and food being left uncovered on the counters and in the coolers
- Meat left at room temperature
- Food safety standards being ignored by staff and food safety logs not being kept
- Equipment and food contact surfaces not being cleaned and sanitized properly
- The dishwasher not adequately cleaning and sanitizing utensils
- An inadequate number of sinks for the type of establishment and level of food preparation
- General inadequate sanitation requiring thorough cleaning
- Construction and maintenance issues involving light fixtures and ceiling tiles
- Hand washing sinks being blocked and not properly stocked
The report says that as of Friday, the facility had been given a written order and must “comply with the order until it is rescinded by an Executive Officer of Alberta Health Services.”
A statement posted to The Thirsty Rooster’s social media on Dec. 20 says the restaurant operators have been talking with AHS since Thursday about maintenance and cleanliness issues.
“Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication regarding AHS reports, which led to some understandable frustration,” the statement says.
The post says the kitchen will be closed until Monday to address the issues and ensure the restaurant is operating “at the highest possible standard.”
