From campus town bars to Italian restaurants, 20 restaurants were closed or failed for serious health code violations during the last part of 2016.

Drain flies in sinks and bathrooms, moldy celery and limes at a popular campus bar and dishes not being cleaned with soap were among the worst violations leading to closures and failures of eateries across Champaign County between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, according to a review of inspection reports.

Violations consistent with reporters’ observations

The violations that led to failures over the three-month period were consistent with observations by journalism students at the University of Illinois who visited restaurants during the fall semester.The students visited 15 eateries in Champaign-Urbana, largely on or near campus. They focused on places with open, easily visible kitchen areas and took notes on what they saw. The restaurants ranged from fast-food establishments to diner-type establishments to sit-down restaurants. The restaurants were all in Champaign-Urbana and most on campus.A lack of proper hand washing was the violation most often observed. This ranged from returning from outside without washing, employees coughing and not washing their hands, and returning from eating without washing their hands.Reporters also noted raw meat being left unattended, employees eating outside of proper dining areas including the kitchen, employees leaving beverages in food preparation areas and trash bags left on the floor of the kitchen. In some cases, they found restaurant bathrooms to be filthy and without soap or signs reminding employees to wash their hands. Many critical violations are technical violations including temperature of food that would not be seen from the dining area. Often, these were repeat violations because many reporters observed restaurants that had failed an inspection within the last two years.

In total, 17 restaurants failed their routine inspections, ranging from problems like improper placement of an employee’s drink, improper hand washing, incorrect storage temperatures and improper chemical storage.

Among the failing was KAM’S bar on campus, which had moldy celery and limes in a refrigerator and drain flies in its main bar and men’s restroom.

Also among the failing was Cowboy Monkey, which had improperly labeled cleaning supplies and insecticide being stored among with cleaning supplies and a lack of hot water in the men’s restroom.

TGI Friday’s, Fat City Bar and Grill, Fazoli’s and Minneci’s at the Crossing, Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza, Chester Street, Villa Pizza and Western Bowl also failed in Champaign.

Ko Fusion in Urbana also failed its routine inspection, including improper hand washing and a bucket being placed on a hose preventing soap from entering the dishwasher.

Local health officials inspect food service facilities for compliance across nearly four dozen health and safety items – including critical violations and risk factors.

photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

A food establishment fails with an adjusted score of 35 or less on a 100-point scale. Scores are adjusted for repeat and critical violations.

A restaurant is automatically closed if its adjusted score falls below 0 or if there are critical violations that pose an immediate health threat to public safety. Restaurants can also be closed if they do not pay their annual permit fee. Establishments can stay open with scores between 0 and 35, but they must be re-inspected within 30 days.

Eateries within Champaign-Urbana are required to post a color-coded placard indicating the health inspection results – green for passing, yellow for failure and re-inspection and red for closure. Restaurants outside the two cities are not required to post placards because county board members say the placards might give customers a “false sense of security.”

Restaurants that were temporarily closed include:

Huarches Moroleon, 805 South Philo Road, Urbana

The health department shut down the restaurant on Oct. 19 after the restaurant had an adjusted score of -40, with 12 critical violations, including a lack of proper labeling, improper temperature storage, employees not washing their hands before handling food and “houseflies too numerous to count.”

The restaurant reopened on Oct. 24 after receiving an adjusted score of 51 with three critical violations on its reinspection.

Wood N’ Hog BBQ, 904 North Fourth Street, Champaign

Wood N’ Hog BBQ was closed on Nov. 10 after an inspector found the restaurant did not have proper refrigeration and storage, presenting an imminent health hazard.

The restaurant was reopened on Nov. 17 after scoring a 92 with zero critical violations on its follow-up inspection.

Woori Jib, 710 South Sixth Street, Champaign

Woori Jib was closed on Nov. 17, after receiving an adjusted score of -3 on its routine inspection. The restaurant had seven critical violations, including employees not washing their hands with soap, dishes being rinsed off and not soaped and employees handling clean plates after dirty plates without washing their hands.

The restaurant reopened on Nov. 23 after it passed a re-inspection with an adjusted score of 69 and one critical violation.

Restaurants that failed inspections include:

Chester Street, 63 East Chester Street, Champaign

A health inspector failed the bar with an adjusted score of 32 and five critical violations on Dec. 6. The back bar was closed after an inspector found a lack of hot and cold water and that the right knob of the sink was broken. The sink also caused wastewater to flow onto the floor due to a leaking issue. There was also no sanitizer at one of the sinks.

The bar passed its re-inspection on Jan. 6, 2017 with an adjusted score of 78 and one critical violation.

Cowboy Monkey, 6 Taylor Street, Champaign

The bar failed its routine inspection on Dec. 8 with an adjusted score of 29 and seven critical violations, including a lack of hot water in the men’s restroom, improperly labeled cleaning supplies, insecticide being stored with cleaning supplies and the bar hand sink being blocked.

On Dec. 14, Cowboy Monkey was re-inspected and passed with an adjusted score of 76 and no critical violations.

Dublin O’Neils, 301 North Neil Street, Champaign

On Dec. 19, the Irish pub failed its routine inspection, receiving an adjusted score of 4 after being cited for nine critical violations. The violations included a live cockroach being seen in the restaurant, a hard-boiled egg was found molded, improper cooling of food and improper labeling of open milk.

The restaurant passed its re-inspection on Jan. 23, 2017 with an adjusted score of 69 and two critical violations.

El Charro Mexican Grocery, 55 East Green Street, Champaign

The grocery store failed its routine health inspection on Oct. 5 with an adjusted score of 22 and four critical violations. During the check, a health inspector observed the manager entering and exiting through the back door and the air curtain was not function. Sinks lacked proper temperatures for water, and there was open ham and hot dogs not labeled for seven-day use. An employee was also switching between cleaning and food preparation while wearing gloves and not washing hands between tasks.

The grocery store passed its inspection on Oct. 24 with an adjusted score of 74 and one critical violation.

El Toro of Mahomet, 703 Eastwood Center Drive, Mahomet

On Nov. 2, the Mexican restaurant failed its routine inspection with an adjusted score of 13 and seven critical violations, including insect spray being incorrectly stored, the door to the walk-in cooler not properly closing, improper storage temperatures and unlabeled chemical bottles.

El Toro was re-inspected on Nov. 30, passing with an adjusted score of 46 and two critical violations.

Family Table Restaurant, 1724 East Grove Avenue, Rantoul

The restaurant failed a routine inspection on Oct. 31 with an adjusted score of 5 and seven critical violations. These included improper hand washing, handling raw food and then cooked food without washing hands, a lack of labeling for seven-day use, improper storage temperature and no hot water in the employee bathroom.

Family Table Restaurant passed its reinspection on Nov. 30 with an adjusted score of 53 and one critical violation.

Fat City Bar and Grill, 505 South Chestnut Street, Champaign

On Nov. 22, the restaurant failed its routine inspection, receiving an adjusted score of 21 and six critical violations. These included storing tomatoes at too high of temperature, no convenient sink and air freshener spray being stored with seasonings.

On Dec. 5, Fat City received an adjusted scored of 71 on its re-inspection and one critical violation.

Fazoli’s, 2029 North Prospect Avenue, Champaign

Health inspectors failed Fazoli’s at its regular inspection on Oct. 19. The restaurant received an adjusted score of 29 and six critical violations, including an employee putting on gloves before handling food preparation and putting away clean dishes, an employee drying hands on a towel on their waist, instead of a clean towel, the sink being blocked and no food sanitation employee working at the time.

Fazoli’s passed its reinspection on Nov. 17 with an adjusted score of 61 with one critical violation.

KAM’S, 618 East Daniel Street, Champaign

On Nov. 18, the bar failed its routine inspection with an adjusted score of 21 and five critical violations, including moldy limes and celery being in a nonfunctioning cooler, drain flies too numerous to count at the main bar and in the men’s restroom, a pitcher and empty bottles sitting in a main sink blocking its use and a lack of hot water at the main bar.

The bar was reinspected on Dec. 15, passing with an adjusted score of 69 and zero critical violations.

Ko Fusion, 701 Gregory Drive, Urbana

A health inspector failed the restaurant with an adjusted score of 20 and eight critical violations on Dec. 12. The violations included improper hand washing, an employee beverage sitting in a food preparation area, improper storage of chemicals, a bucket being placed on a hose preventing sanitizer from getting into the dish machine and improper temperature for some foods.

It passed its reinspection on Jan. 11 with an adjusted score of 87 and no critical violations.

Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza, 1910 North Neil Street, Champaign

Health inspectors failed the restaurant after it received an adjusted score of 6 on a Dec. 8 inspection included six critical violations. These included the bar dish machine being condemned, an employee loading dirty dishes and then putting away clean dishes without hand washing, improper storage temperature and food not labeled for seven-day use.

Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza passed its reinspection on Dec. 16, with an adjusted score of 72 and no critical violations.

Siam Terrace, 212 West Main Street, Urbana

On Dec. 13, the restaurant failed its inspection with an adjusted score of 9 and seven critical violations, including improper cooling of sauces, raw chicken and duck being stored at too high of temperatures, an employee cleaning the floor and then doing food preparation without washing hands in between and drain flies.

The restaurant passed its reinspection on Jan. 12, 2017 with an adjusted score of 86 and one critical violation.

Sidney Saloon, 204 South David Street, Sidney

Health inspectors failed the restaurant on Nov. 16 after it received an adjusted score of 15 and seven critical violations, including not having a certified food service sanitation worker, improper temperature of food and a lack of necessary refrigeration.

The restaurant passed its reinspection on Dec. 15 with an adjusted score of 48 and three critical violations.

TGI Friday’s, 103 West Marketview Drive, Champaign

Health inspectors failed the restaurant on Dec. 5 after it received an adjusted score of 32 and five critical violations, including employee drinks being stored on the prep counter, a lack of proof of food sanitation service certified workers at all times and improper temperature of food.

The restaurant passed its reinspection on Dec. 8 with an adjusted score of 87 and no critical violations.

Villa Pizza, 2000 North Neil Street, Champaign

On Nov. 28, the restaurant failed its inspection with an adjusted score of 22 and seven critical violations, including improper storage temperatures. Because of repeat violations, the restaurant is not allowed sell cucumber and tomato salad or have more than three pizzas under a heat lamp at one time.

The restaurant passed its reinspection on Dec. 21 with an adjusted score of 97 and no critical violations.

Western Bowl Bar & Snack Bar, 917 Frances Drive, Champaign

The bowling alley failed a routine inspection on Oct. 3 with an adjusted score of 25 and six critical violations. These included drain flies being present in the bar, employees scooping and loading ice without washing their hands and a lack of a full-time trained food service sanitation employee.

Western Bowl passed its reinspection on Oct. 18 with an adjusted score of 52 and one critical violation.