First, it was Mad Cow disease . . . now,
Nearly two dozen Cookeville restaurants get notice they will lose their permits to operate unless they clean up their operations
-- including one run by the government

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (March 29, 2001-- Although the state Health Department warned 20 local restaurants they could lose their permits because of low health scores, Cookeville Area-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce lists nine of them on its Web page.

Eldon Leslie, President of the chamber, told The Putnam Pit that the list was just that -- a list -- and not an endorsement of the establishments.

"It's like a telephone directory," he said. "It's the list of member restaurants."

Leslie said he did not think members that ran clean establishments minded being listed on one site with others that may be on the verge of losing their permits to operate.


Click here to see warned restaurants.[Establishments with asterisk (*) are on Chamber's list]
Click here for link to Chamber listings.
City of Cookeville government food outlet gets state revocation notice for health violations
11 restaurants threatened with permit revocation are members of the Cookeville Area-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
 
Thanks to the Tennessee Department of Health, Division of General Environmental Health, for providing Putnam County with a service that benefits all of us. Patronizing establishments with good health records is an intelligent way to keep your family healthy.Through the state's work monitoring food establishments, a record is maintained of continued unhealthful practices, and after repeated serious offenses, an establishment is warned that the next time it falls below an acceptable grade, its license can be revoked.
 

As of March 24, 2001, more than 20 local restaurants or eating places have been sent a "revocation warning" such as the one to the right, in which the City of Cookeville was warned that it must keep potentially hazardous food at the proper temperatures during storage, preparation, display, service and transportation. In this warning letter,

Click here to see the revocation warning to Cookeville
Cookeville is given the 'due process' notification of an appeal right -- something the city is being sued for omitting when it shuts off peoples' heat. Also, the state does not charge restaurants for making a trip to the establishment and finding repeated errors, like it found at Cookeville's Cane Creek Sportplex, 2200 W. Jackson St. Cookeville could mail a notice for 33 cents, but instead sends an employee to hang a notice on the door, then charges $10 in addition to the cost of the bill although shortage of money is apparently the reason the customer didn't pay.

  Along with Cookeville, other local establishments warned they could lose their permit to operate because of health violations:

  • *China Buffet, 433 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Hazardous food is unprotected. 

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  • Dew Drop Inn, 39 S. Depot St., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Employees are unhygienic. 

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  • Dog House, 24 N. Cedar St., Cookeville, TN., 38501 -- Toxic items improperly stored.
  • *El Tequila, 1 N. Willow Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected; employees are unhygienic; insufficient toilet and hand washing facilities; insect, rodent animal control. 

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  • *Goten Japanese Restaurant, 831 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected.

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  • Holiday Inn Restaurant, 970 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected; employees are unhygienic.

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  • *Long John Silvers, 870 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used. 

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  • *Mamma Rosa's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, 1405 N. Washington Ave., Cookeville, TN., 38501 -- Toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used. 

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  • M&M Diner, 795 N. Willow Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 --  Insect, rodent animal control. 

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  • O'Charley's, 1401 Interstate Dr., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Employees are unhygienic. [O'Charley's refused to serve Putnam Pit staff for reporting their previous filthy hygienic practices, then called police, who responded with four squads. Story.] 

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  • *Odie's Restaurant, 2240 W. Broad St., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected. 

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  • *Pizza Hut No. 1928, 1010 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 --  Toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used.

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  • Schlotzsky's Deli, 1000 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected. 

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  • *Sonic Drive-In of Cookeville, 724 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN 38501 -- Hazardous food is unprotected; toxic items improperly stored. 

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  • *Soup Kitchen, The, 20 W. Broad St., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Insufficient toilet and hand washing facilities. 

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  • Tennessee Motor Speedway Tier, 840 Diddy Dr., Baxter, TN. 38544 -- Toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used.

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  • TRW, 1400 Old Salem Rd., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected. 

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  • Highland Ten Cinema, 1181 S. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, TN. 38501 -- Sewage and wastewater not disposed of according to law; toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used. 

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  • Loyal order of Moose Lodge 1912, 185 Miller Road, Cookeville, TN., 38501 -- Unhealthy plumbing configuration 

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  • Flowserve, 1978 Foreman Dr., Cookeville, TN., 38501 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected.

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  • Fast Food merchandise Inc., 2300 Industrial Dr., Monterey, TN., 38574 -- Potentially hazardous food is unprotected. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

*Member of Cookeville area-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce