A new Foothills Mall restaurant owned by a prominent Arizona chef and major investor in the Tucson restaurant scene failed two health inspections last month before passing.
The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen, 7265 N. La Cholla Blvd., which opened in December and received several positive reviews in the Star this year, failed inspections on Sept. 10 and Sept. 20.
The county inspector saw five critical violations in the first inspection. The most serious were foods kept at the wrong temperatures and an employee who wiped his face with a towel and put on gloves to prepare food without first washing his hands.
The inspector also noted the kitchen and equipment “require a detailed and thorough cleaning, as there is accumulation of soil and debris throughout.”
Owner Aaron May, a member of the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, did not return two calls seeking comment.
The Lodge passed a follow-up inspection on Sept. 30. Manager Matt Veronica said problems were fixed and now “it’s all up to par.”
The Lodge restaurant received a good rating from the Health Department earlier this year.
May owns three Tucson restaurants and plans two more. He also owns a dozen restaurants in the Phoenix area and one in Sierra Vista.
One other Tucson restaurant failed an inspection in September, then passed. Here’s what you need to know:
Sky Rider Coffee Shop,
11750 W. Avra Valley Road
History: Previous failed inspections or “needs improvement” ratings in 2010 and 2006.
What the inspector saw: Six critical violations on Sept. 25. The most serious were foods kept at the wrong temperatures, a dishwasher who didn’t wash her hands between handling dirty dishes and clean dishes, and a dirty deli slicer and soda machine.
Follow-up: Passed on Oct. 7.
Response: A manager, who would not provide her name, said some of the problems were caused by a broken refrigerator, which has been repaired, and that other problems have been corrected.
