Iowa restaurant violations: Contaminated sausage, moldy pizza, months-old sauce

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 17, 2025

State, city and county inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations during the past several weeks, including offenses related to dirty kitchens, unlicensed eateries and moldy and expired food.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, stores, care facilities and other businesses between Sept. 15 and Oct. 9. (Earlier this year, DIAL began withholding from public disclosure all food-safety inspection reports for eight days past the date of inspection.)

The inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a “snapshot” in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment. For a more complete list of all inspections, along with additional details on each of the inspections listed below, visit the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing’s website.

Verde, 1507 State St., Bettendorf — During an Oct. 2 visit, a Scott County inspector cited this restaurant for 17 risk-factor violations, an exceptionally high number. The inspector found that the establishment was open and operating without a valid food-service license, as the previous license had expired and had not been renewed.

Also, there was no certified food protection manager on staff, and multiple food items — including red salsa dated Aug. 14, bean puree dated Aug. 18, wine sauce dated July 11, and mango habanero dated Sept. 12 — were being held long past the maximum of seven days and had to be discarded.

In addition, raw whole cuts of beef were stored above fresh herbs and cooked rice inside a cooler, risking cross-contamination; several containers in the clean-dish rack were marred by “bits of leftover food debris;” the interior of the large ice bin was marred by an accumulation of grime; the sanitizing dishwashing machine in the bar area was not properly functioning; a container of raw, improperly stored fish had to be discarded, and food was being packaged in reduced-oxygen, or vacuum-sealed, packaging without the required approval.

Also, a bag of onions, a box of tortillas, and a box of eggs were being stored directly on the floor of the walk-in cooler; the stainless steel rolling cart had a buildup of spilled grease and food debris, and the air filters above the cooking equipment contained a buildup of dust and grease.

Brady’s Bar & Grill, 113 N. Washington St., Edgewood – During an Oct. 9 visit, a state inspector cited this establishment for 12 risk-factor violations, an unusually high number. Among the issues: The staff was assembling sandwiches with their bare hands and there was no soap available at either the bar or dish-room handwashing sinks; there was “adulterated” pizza sauce and alfredo sauce in the pizza preparation table that had to be discarded, and various food items — including sausage, ham, shredded cheese, coleslaw and cottage cheese — were being stored at temperatures above the maximum of 41 degrees.

Also, the shredded pork, chicken breasts, in-house ranch dressing, in-house salsa, and in-house bacon jam were not marked with dates to ensure freshness and safety. In addition, the microwave oven “appeared unclean” and the establishment’s current license was not posted.

The Bettplex, 4850 Competition Drive, Bettendorf – During an Oct. 8 visit, a Scott County inspector cited this restaurant for multiple products throughout the main kitchen that had been held for longer than the maximum seven days, including Canadian bacon and lettuce dated Sept. 25, bean sauce dated Oct. 1, ranch dressing dated Sept. 30, beer cheese dated Sept. 26 and brisket dated Sept. 28.

Also, access to the handwashing sink was blocked by trash cans positioned in front of it, and several prepared food products — including bags of cooked noodles, cooked chicken, cheese sauce and deli meat — had been held for more than 24 hours without proper date-markings to ensure freshness and safety.

In addition, several pizzas that had been prepared four days earlier and were stored on an open rack in a cooler had “a small accumulation of mold growth on them.”  The inspector also reported an accumulation of fruit flies around two floor drains behind the main bar.

Cabos Cantina & Grill, 1500 E. LeClaire Road, Eldridge – During an Oct. 1 visit, a Scott County inspector cited this establishment for 10 risk-factor violations, an unusually high number. Among the issues: rice on the main hot-holding line in the kitchen had not been reheated to 165 degrees within two hours as required; raw chicken and raw steak in the refrigerated drawers below the grill were holding at 43 to 45 degrees rather than 41 degrees or colder; several knives stored as clear were marred by food debris, and several cans of Raid insecticide, not approved for use in commercial food establishments, were found in the utility room.

Also, the chlorine dishwashing machine was operating with no detectable levels of sanitizing solution; frozen fish had not been removed from reduced-oxygen packaging before thawing, increasing the risk that any spoilage would go undetected; in-use utensils in the bar area were being stored in standing, room-temperature water, and hot tortillas were being stored in plastic, grocery-style bags rather than in a food-grade container.

Dynasty Buffet (listed in inspection reports as Gog Dynasty Buffet), 5388 Elmore Ave., Davenport – During an Oct. 7 visit, a Scott County inspector cited this restaurant for 11 risk-factor violations, an unusually high number. Among the problems: Employees handled vegetables using their bare hands; raw chicken and seafood were stored above ready-to-eat food items in a cooler, risking cross-contamination; kitchen knives and the ice machines used for customers’ drinks were marred by “debris and gunk;” employees were seen eating food off the cutting board surface rather eating at a table in the dining area; the dishwashing machine was not properly sanitizing dishes; multiple food products were stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler, and multiple food products had been left uncovered in the kitchen.

Also, dented cans of food were found in the establishment, and one cooler was storing food products at temperatures of up to 50 degrees rather than 41 degrees or colder. In addition, frozen fish was left to thaw at room temperature in the kitchen, fly strips were hanging in several areas of the kitchen, and spoons and scoops used for food were “crusty and had debris buildup.”

Colfax Truck Stop, 1405 N. Walnut St., Colfax – During a Sept. 25 visit, a state inspector cited this establishment for nine risk-factor violations. Among the problems: Cartons of raw eggs from an unapproved private flock were offered for sale in a reach-in cooler and had to pulled from sale. Also, the individual in charge could not provide the name of an approved source for the large metal pan of yogurt found inside a walk-in cooler or for “the plastic grocery bags of frozen meat” found inside a walk-in freezer.

In addition, the pastry stored in a hot-holding case was measured at 114 to 120 degrees and had to be discarded. The establishment, the inspector reported, “does not have a date-marking system for time- and temperature-controlled foods that require date-marking. No foods were date-marked with a production or discard date.” The inspector also found that equipment and utensils were not being sanitized after washing, and reported that cutting boards, utensils, and storage containers were marred by “food debris and buildup” on their surfaces.

“Cooked chickpeas and cooked chicken were cooling at room temperature with no temperature monitoring,” the inspector reported. “Frozen meat was thawing in large pots of water on the floor in the back of the kitchen.”

All Pho You, 4120 University Ave., Des Moines – During an Oct. 7 visit, a state inspector noted that meat cooked days before had been left in the cooler and freezer with no date-markings to ensure freshness and safety. The inspector also made note of sausage with “visible contamination and discoloration” and found that the person in charge was not a certified food protection manager as required. During the restaurant’s previous routine inspection, in October 2024, it was cited for 13 risk-factor violations, an exceptionally high number.

Hy-Vee Foods, 1720 Waterfront Drive, Iowa City – During an Oct. 6 visit, a Johnson County inspector noted that the diced tomatoes in the pizza refrigeration unit were being stored at 47 degrees rather than 41 degrees or colder. Also, cooked items, including pork ribs and smoked pulled pork, were stored in a cooler at 44 and 47 degrees and had to be discarded.

In addition, several items in the produce area’s cooler — such as Margaritaville salsa, black bean and corn salsa, and guacamole salsa — were being held at temperatures above 41 degrees and had to be discarded. The store was also using a nonapproved, noncontinuous method of cooking chicken, and the smoked chicken that was stored in a hot-holding unit in the Market Grill area was being held at 129 degrees – too cool to ensure its safety – and had to be discarded.

The inspector also reported that partially cooked chicken stored on a preparation table in the Chinese food area was measured at 90 degrees and had to be discarded, and raw ground beef was being stored above raw pork steaks in a self-service meat cooler, risking cross-contamination. Also, the handwashing sinks in the meat department were found to have no hot water supply.

Olive Tree Café, 2513 53rd Ave., Bettendorf – During an Oct. 6 visit, a Scott County inspector cited this restaurant for food-contact surfaces that had a “buildup of soil and/or food debris” and required additional cleaning.  Also, three cans of food had severe dents along their rims or seams and had to be discarded, one container of quinoa prepared on Sept. 29 had been held for more than the maximum seven days, and there was no certified food protection manager on site each day.

Fas Mart, 1200 Locust St., Glenwood – During a Sept. 30 visit, a state inspector noted that dishes were not being sanitized after washing, and food products were being chilled in an open-air cooler at 58 degrees – too warm to ensure safety. Also, the handwashing sink in the dish room had no hot water supply, and the drain for the handwashing sink was not connected, allowing water to drain directly onto the floor. In addition, the establishment’s most recent inspection report was not posted in a location that allowed consumers to read it. According to state records, the establishment last underwent a routine inspection in October 2020.

Hy-Vee Foods, 1125 N. Dodge St., Iowa City – During a Sept. 30 visit, a Johnson County inspector noted that the interior of the ice machine in the Market Grill area was marred by a buildup of unspecified debris, and numerous items – including diced and sliced tomatoes, cheese, deli sandwiches and wraps, and ready-to-eat salami, diced pancetta, and Columbus pepperoni panini – were being held at temperatures above 41 degrees and had to be discarded.

Also, the veggie wash used in the Market Grill area had no detectable level of cleaning solution; food employees in the meat department and deli sandwich section did not wash their hands before putting on gloves and handling food; and the most recent inspection report had not been posted.

Foundry Food & Tap, 5055 Competition Drive, Bettendorf – During a Sept. 29 visit, a Scott County inspector noted that multiple food-contact surfaces throughout the kitchen were marred by a buildup of soil, food debris and grime. The soiled areas included the food-preparation tables, the shelves of the reach-in freezer, the interior of all the refrigerated drawers of a cook-line cooler, the interior of the hot-holding food cabinets, the onion dicer and storage pan, and the ice scoop.

“All surfaces require additional cleaning and sanitizing,” the inspector reported.

In addition, three pans of food containing pulled pork, rice and vegetables had no date-markings to ensure freshness and safety. Also, one cooler was holding food product at between 46 and 53 degrees, rather than 41 degrees or colder, and so the food was discarded. Another cooler that was being used to store raw chicken, fish, and breading products was holding food at 47 to 50 degrees, and so that food was discarded. The restaurant also had to discard a container of boneless wings that were being held at 53 degrees, as well as improperly thawed vacuum-sealed salmon filets.

Smoke N Firehouse No. 20, 103 W. Maple St., Ringsted — During a Sept. 19 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector cited this restaurant for 13 risk-factor violations, an unusually high number.

Among the problems: A bag of hamburger buns that showed “the presence of mold” and had to be discarded; multiple foods stored in all three of the reach-in coolers had been left uncovered, risking contamination; raw ground beef was left sitting on a counter at room temperature; there was no system in place for date-marking foods that were time- and temperature-controlled; cut tomatoes, cooked pulled pork, taco meat, and cooked ground beef had all been held for more than the maximum of seven days and had to be discarded; and the chemical dishwasher was operating with no detectable levels of sanitizing solution.

In addition, the kitchen utensils were soiled; a handwashing sink was filled with dirty dishes; a can of Hot Shot bug spray, not approved for use in commercial food establishments, was located in the kitchen, and the fryers, flat-top grill and coolers were visibly soiled with a buildup of food debris.

“Kitchen walls and floors are heavily soiled with food debris, especially around kitchen equipment,” the inspector reported. The visit was in response to a non-illness complaint concerning general sanitation. The complaint was deemed verified.

Hy-Vee Foods, 1700 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant – During a Sept. 18 visit, a Lee County inspector cited this store for 10 risk-factor violations. Among the problems: Raw,  seasoned chicken was stored on top of seasoned ribs on a cart in the walk-in cooler, risking cross-contamination; rotisserie chickens in the hot-holding case ranged from 125 to 130 degrees, which was not hot enough to ensure their safety, and had to be reheated to at least 165 degrees; and various cold items, such as cheese and tomatoes were stored at 48 degrees in the sandwich-prep cooler.

Also, the dishwashing machine in the bakery area was not reaching the minimum of 160 degrees, and the written log documenting sushi preparation was incomplete and missing some of the required information.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: [email protected].