The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has posted the results of its 7/25/06 inspection of the world famous Shake Shack and, well, here's where you might want to avert your eyes. Seems our favorite Madison Square Park burger stand and yours scored a whopping 140, putting it in the company of many of the uncleanest venues in town. Violation #13 out of 15 total violations:
13) Food worker does not wash hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking, preparing raw foods or otherwise contaminating hands.The net/net of the inspection is that "violations...requiring immediate action were addressed," though that is to say nothing of the psychological damage sustained by myriad staffers at Eater HQ.
· Restaurant Inspection Information: Shake Shack [NYC DOH]
UPDATE: The Danny Meyer Camp's official response is just ahead.
Official Statement from Union Square Hospitality Group
Our goal at Shake Shack is to provide the cleanest, most organized and well maintained operation that enables us to serve the thousands of guests who line up to enjoy the Shack every day.
Having a small, stand-alone establishment in a park definitely presents its challenges, but we work hard every day to provide the cleanest and most organized environment for our guests, as well as the safest and most comfortable workplace for our employees as possible.
The major violations we were cited for were either structural or operational – and not regarding concerns like vermin, mucus, urine or feces.
We take these results very seriously and are working closely with both the Health and Parks Departments on finding immediate and workable solutions to the structural and operational issues. In fact, we have already made several major changes and improvements.
Additionally, we have hired an outside consultant to do inspections twice weekly and to provide us with reports so that we can remain proactive in our goal to operate the cleanest, most organized and well maintained facility possible.
We are grateful that the Health Department did such a thorough and detailed inspection and identified areas in need of improvement. This will ultimately help us to become a better business and improve our guests’ experiences.
