News Releases from Department of Health

LAHAINA – The Hawai‘i Department of Health’s (DOH) Food Safety Branch issued 808 Grindz Cafe a green placard and approved its reopening after a follow-up inspection found that all the critical food safety violations were corrected.

808 Grindz Café, located at 843 Wainee Street, received a red placard on November 30, 2021 and was immediately closed due to a cockroach infestation. Follow up inspections were conducted by the Food Safety and Vector Control branches on December 2 and 10, 2021 but the restaurant was kept closed due to the continuing presence of an active population of roaches and grease buildup. On December 13, 2021 a follow-up inspection found no critical violations and the active roach infestation had been eradicated.

A few non-critical violations were reported:

• While live roaches were observed in the kitchen, no roaches were observed on any food contact surfaces.
• Some minor areas of grease build up on the floor remained to be thoroughly cleaned.

The food establishment provided pest control contractor treatment and monitoring reports for the last few weeks. They were advised to continue with at least weekly pest control treatments for the next few months and to continue to seal any remaining holes.

DOH’s Food Safety Branch protects and promotes the health of Hawai‘i residents and visitors through education of food industry workers and regulation of food establishments statewide. The branch conducts routine health inspections of food establishments where food products are prepared, manufactured, distributed, or sold.

The branch also investigates the sources of food borne illnesses and potential adulteration; and is charged with mitigating the effects of these incidents to prevent any future occurrences. The Department of Health’s food safety specialists strive to work with business owners, food service workers, and the food industry to ensure safe food preparation practices and sanitary conditions.

To view restaurant inspection reports, go to https://hi.healthinspections.us/hawaii/.

For more information on the department’s placard program go to https://health.hawaii.gov/san/.

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PDF: Hawai‘i Department of Health approves reopening of 808 Grindz Cafe in Lahaina