Clayton Coffee Shop Receives Fourth Complaint on Employee Hand Washing

A complaint about the hand washing practices of a specific employee have brought St. Louis County Health Department inspectors back to a Clayton eatery that has received several related complaints in the past few months.

Earlier this year three Java Plus customers submitted anonymous complaints that a female employee handles several food items with bare hands, or the same pair of protective gloves. Hands that handled money were not washed before going back to prepare food, according to complaints. An inspector who visited the eatery in January did not find evidence to support the complaints. 

The St. Louis County Health Department received another complaint in February that a female employee was eating salad with her hands before serving food without food preparation gloves. The complainant also observed the employee handle money, according the report.

The inspector who visited Java Plus on Feb. 27 did not observe any violations during the inspection, but talked to the employees about hand washing, and where and when they can eat personal food. The complaint has been closed, and the establishment earned a perfect score on the inspection.

Editor's note: St. Louis County Health Department restaurant inspections are available to the public on the St. Louis County website.