Dead cockroaches found in Lane County restaurant inspection, score 65

Dead cockroaches drove a Lane County restaurant’s inspection score down to 65, leaving it five points short of the county’s 70-point compliance mark. The result matters immediately for diners in Eugene, Springfield and elsewhere in Lane County because county health inspectors use these scores to flag where sanitation and food-handling problems have surfaced.

Lane County Health Department inspectors make unannounced visits to licensed restaurants twice a year. They check food temperatures, food preparation practices, worker hygiene, dishwashing and sanitizing, and the cleanliness of equipment and facilities, then score restaurants on a 100-point scale.

A 65 is below the line that Lane County considers compliant. The county’s weekly inspection reports are meant to help people make informed choices about where they eat while also spotlighting restaurants that are or are not meeting local health and safety codes.

The dead-cockroach finding also fits a pattern in recent Lane County inspection roundups. On July 11, inspectors documented improper food storage, problems with handwashing sinks and inadequate food temperatures. On July 18, another roundup cited bleach on an espresso machine and month-old puree. A July 4 report noted raw beef on salsa verde and a repeat offender that received a 65.

For diners, the score is the clearest signal in the inspection record: 70 or higher is compliant, and 65 is not. Before the restaurant can be viewed as meeting the county standard again, it will need to earn a score at or above that threshold on a future inspection.