Wings restaurant passes county inspection despite several violations

A restaurant in the Cy-Fair area that specializes in chicken wings recently passed its Harris County food safety inspection, though several problems were observed.

The Wingstop location at 19754 SH 249, Suite A, was inspected on Jan. 26. According to their report, county officials gave the restaurant 10 demerits out of a possible 100. An establishment must earn 20 demerits to be automatically considered "of concern" and in need of a follow-up visit, though inspectors can also order another visit at their discretion.

Inspectors gave the demerits for three violations at Wingstop. One was a "good hygienic practices" violation, which could mean open beverage containers in the kitchen, unsafe hand-washing practices, or eating, drinking or smoking in unapproved areas. This type of violation is on the county's list of problems most associated with food-borne illness by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Problems with mechanical dishwashing and sanitizing as well as proper sanitation knowledge by the manager on duty were also reported.

The number of problems at Wingstop during this inspection is more or less typical for the restaurant. In an April 2010 visit, the location received 11 demerits. A September 2010 inspection resulted in just nine demerits, but inspectors requested a follow-up. They recorded no problems on their return visit.

For more information on how Harris County conducts food safety inspections, visit www.hcphes.org.