The city’s Health Department gave a popular pizza chain restaurant in Bayside the thumbs up to reopen after health inspectors ordered it closed last week.
QNS called Uno Pizzeria & Grill at 39-02 Bell Blvd. to confirm that it would be open regular hours starting on Monday, July 1. A source at the restaurant said that the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) had approved the reopening.
This comes after the pizza chain failed its latest restaurant inspection and scored a 33 according to records from the DOHMH.
A yellow DOMHM sign dated June 25 was displayed on Uno’s front door, as was a printed paper statement from the management claiming the restaurant was closed due to “structural issues.”
The statement also offered any guests who photographed the sign a 10 percent discount on their next order in July.
The restaurant’s offenses included evidence of live mice and filth flies in food and non-food areas. In November 2018, records showed that the deep dish pizza chain scored a 13, which is an A rating. Restaurants that score between 14 and 27 earn a B rating while a score of 28 or more is a C rating.
DOHMH found the following violations at Uno at 39-02 Bell Blvd., with red denoting a critical offense. Asterisks (*) are used to show violations that are public health hazards.
- Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.*
- Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
- Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
According to scoring and grading guidelines, violations fall into one of three categories. The most serious of these are public health hazards, such as evidence of mice, a violation that earns a minimum of seven points. If these violations are not immediately corrected before the end of an inspection, the Health Department reserves the right to shut down the establishment until the issue is fixed.
Critical violations, including the presence of filth flies, triggers a minimum of five points. General violations like not properly sanitizing cooking utensils score at least two points. Inspectors assign additional points from one to five based on the extent of each violation.
A disclaimer on the Health Department’s website said that scores from recent inspections may not be final and that restaurants are entitled to hearings to challenge citations. If an establishment is successful in fighting a citation, its score and/or grade may be subject to change.
