Chicken received by a student
Photo Courtesy: William McCallum
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS EDITOR
Riley Faso and Emma Gavazzi, both sophomores at St. Bonaventure University, went to eat lunch together at their campus’ main dining hall, the Hickey Dining Hall. After assembling their salads and picking a table, the pair started to eat. But Gavazzi didn’t realize she’d picked up an additional topping: a dead bug hidden within her leaves of the lettuce.
Over the past 16 years, the Hickey has received 31 critical health violations and 27 non-critical health violations from the Cattaraugus County Health Department. Kevin D. Watkins, the county’s public health director, said students should not be concerned about eating at the facility. While some students reported receiving pink or raw chicken, others reported never having a problem with food from the Hickey.
Fifteen of the 31 critical violations are of item 5A — potentially hazardous foods not kept at or below 45°F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38°F during cold holding, according to New York Food Service Establishment Inspections.. Seven of the critical violations were of 6A — Potentially hazardous foods not kept at or above 140°F during hot holding.
“By controlling the temperature, food establishments can control the levels of bacteria, which spoil foods and cause illness,” said Watkins. “Heat kills bacteria, while cold temperatures slow down the growth of bacteria to prevent it from reaching harmful levels.”
The Hickey is inspected by the health department and is held to the same standards as a restaurant, said Watkins.
“The Cattaraugus County Health Department routinely inspects the Hickey Dining Hall,” said Watkins. “Students should not be concerned about eating at the facility. The Health Department would not allow the facility to remain open if there was a need for concern.”
Of 50 students interviewed, over half reported having gotten sick from eating at the Hickey.
“If it doesn’t look good, I don’t get it,” said Max DeMass, a freshman marketing and video production major. “That’s why I don’t think I’ve gotten sick. You can tell pretty easily what’s good. There’s a visible difference.”
Of 50 students interviewed, 43 reported at some point being concerned about the safety of the food they received at the Hickey.
“The majority of the time, [the Hickey] is good,” said Billy Dundon, a sophomore physical education major. “But sometimes the meat doesn’t seem to be cooked, and the bread is stale at the sandwich station.”
Other students had similar situations.
“Every time when I’m by the bread, I see flies,” said Camden Hurd, a junior finance major. “I haven’t seen pink chicken; I’ve never had an issue with raw food. It’s more an issue with the food that’s been sitting out for a while.”
Over half of students interviewed reported receiving pink or raw chicken from the Hickey.
“I’ve seen the meat be undercooked,” Tanner Pasi, a sophomore English major. “Some of the food is dry or stale.”
Not all students have had issues, though.
“I’m not a picky eater,” said Ryan Hersey, a sophomore economics major. “They’ve always got something for you. If you’re a picky eater, you could have issues, but I don’t.”
Some other students agreed with Hersey.
“Personally, I haven’t had any problems with [food from] the Hickey,” said Mason Besant, a freshman undeclared business major. “I know people who have, though.”
Other students said the Hickey is often hit or miss.
“It’s on and off,” said Ryan Forsythe, a freshman management major. “Some days it’s good and others [it’s bad].”
Watkins said the dining hall is held to the same food-safety standards as all restaurants.
“[Both dining halls and restaurants] are required to maintain temperature control,” said Watkins, “It’s important that food-establishment staff regularly check the temps to avoid possible illness to their customers.”
Aramark is the company that provides food for the Hickey and is in charge of its operation.
“Nothing is more important to us than food safety,” said Nicole Clark, the general manager for Dining Services at Bonaventure. “We take all customer concerns about food quality very seriously and investigate every concern that is brought to our attention. We encourage anyone with a concern about their dining experience to contact any of our managers on duty in the dining location, or one of our associates, so that we can provide immediate attention to any concerns, comments or suggestions on the spot. We did receive one report of a small fly found in lettuce, which triggered an investigation and additional staff training on produce inspection. To date, we have not received any reports of foodborne illness or raw chicken.”
At the time of deadline, Clark has yet to comment on anything done in response to the 15 violations of item 5A, what the investigation process looks like for reports or how often staff check food temperatures.
scibild22@bonaventure.edu
