David Barrier
10-31-2007, 10:04 AM
Greencastle - A Greencastle restaurant is open for business again after health inspectors shut it down when they found a deer carcass in the kitchen.
La Charreada Mexican Cuisine is open for business after the Putnam County Health Department closed it for 48 hours last week.
"I myself would not eat there no more and I think the restaurant aught to be shut down," said Mark Herbert, who's eaten at the restaurant in the past.
On October 24th, inspectors, responding to two tips, found the carcass of a deer in La Charreada's kitchen. Employees were slicing meat off the road kill which was dropped off by an Indiana conservation officer. Restaurant workers were butchering the road kill for themselves, not for the restaurant.
"I just couldn't believe that they would do that in the restaurant, much less during business hours," said Putnam County Health Department inspector Darrell Brackney. "On one side of the kitchen they were serving meals and preparing meals and on the other side of the kitchen they were butchering a deer on the floor."
Citing at least five serious violations, the health department immediately closed the Greencastle restaurant, forcing about two dozen people to get up and leave in the middle of their meals.
This is not the first time this business has been shut down. Last year an inspector found more than 20 health violations, half of them critical. Things like cockroaches in the kitchen and food not being stored at the right temperature. The restaurant was closed for a day and fined.
Geneva and Matt Green had lunch at the eatery on Tuesday, even after hearing about the events of last week. They said the food was delicious.
"You can't control your employees all the time," Matt Green said. "It was someone in there that made a bad decision. We trust the place and we'll be back."
But waiters were spotted inside with little to do during Tuesday's lunch hour, evidence perhaps that not everyone is so forgiving.
"I would say they've got their work cut out for them to convince people that this was an isolated deal and that the employees no longer there were responsible and nothing like that will happen in the future," Brackney said.
The restaurant manager says three employees, including a manager, were fired as a result of the incident.
La Charreada is now on probation and will be inspected by the Health Department at random every week for the next six months. It will also be fined a total of $1,200.
La Charreada Mexican Cuisine is open for business after the Putnam County Health Department closed it for 48 hours last week.
"I myself would not eat there no more and I think the restaurant aught to be shut down," said Mark Herbert, who's eaten at the restaurant in the past.
On October 24th, inspectors, responding to two tips, found the carcass of a deer in La Charreada's kitchen. Employees were slicing meat off the road kill which was dropped off by an Indiana conservation officer. Restaurant workers were butchering the road kill for themselves, not for the restaurant.
"I just couldn't believe that they would do that in the restaurant, much less during business hours," said Putnam County Health Department inspector Darrell Brackney. "On one side of the kitchen they were serving meals and preparing meals and on the other side of the kitchen they were butchering a deer on the floor."
Citing at least five serious violations, the health department immediately closed the Greencastle restaurant, forcing about two dozen people to get up and leave in the middle of their meals.
This is not the first time this business has been shut down. Last year an inspector found more than 20 health violations, half of them critical. Things like cockroaches in the kitchen and food not being stored at the right temperature. The restaurant was closed for a day and fined.
Geneva and Matt Green had lunch at the eatery on Tuesday, even after hearing about the events of last week. They said the food was delicious.
"You can't control your employees all the time," Matt Green said. "It was someone in there that made a bad decision. We trust the place and we'll be back."
But waiters were spotted inside with little to do during Tuesday's lunch hour, evidence perhaps that not everyone is so forgiving.
"I would say they've got their work cut out for them to convince people that this was an isolated deal and that the employees no longer there were responsible and nothing like that will happen in the future," Brackney said.
The restaurant manager says three employees, including a manager, were fired as a result of the incident.
La Charreada is now on probation and will be inspected by the Health Department at random every week for the next six months. It will also be fined a total of $1,200.