GPH Officials Order 2-Week License Suspension
A South Russell Village restaurant will remain closed through April 17 after its license was suspended for two weeks following an April 2 hearing over repeated health code violations.
A South Russell Village restaurant will remain closed through April 17 after its license was suspended for two weeks following an April 2 hearing over repeated health code violations.
Hunan By the Falls was ordered to close after Geauga Public Health determined corrective action was needed before the restaurant, at 508 Washington St., could safely resume operations.
According to GPH documents, all kitchen staff must complete person-in-charge training. The restaurant must also provide documentation outlining how violations will be corrected and maintained, along with active managerial control records, including staff food safety training.
A reinspection is required before reopening, and the establishment will be subject to more frequent inspections once it resumes operations.
The suspension follows two years of documented violations.
Environmental Health Supervisor Cady Stromp and sanitarian Paul Stromp went over the violations during a March 18 Geauga County Board of Health meeting.
In Ohio, violations are categorized as critical and noncritical, Cady explained. Critical violations can cause illness, while noncritical violations generally do not.
The restaurant has undergone multiple inspections and reinspections, as well as an office hearing in October followed by another reinspection, Cady said.
The board began the license suspension process in November. In December, officials opted not to suspend the license and instead placed the restaurant on probation, she said.
Inspection results fluctuated. In January, inspectors found one critical and three noncritical violations. In February, that number rose to nine critical and five noncritical violations, she said.
Cady and Paul outlined a range of issues observed over time, including improperly reheating food, food debris in a slicing machine, improper date marking and time stamping, cooked ribs sitting in a hand sink, lack of soap and paper towels at hand sinks, raw chicken stored over vegetables and a drain line to a soda gun placed in a glass bottle sitting in the restaurant’s ice supply.
GPH also provided the Geauga County Maple Leaf with 10 inspection reports dating from early 2024 through 2026.
Handwashing violations appeared in five of those reports, ranging from employees failing to wash hands while inspectors were present to missing soap and paper towels at hand sinks.
“Just based on the inspections, the lack of compliance with the food code and improvement in the inspections, our recommendation is to suspend the food license for two weeks with conditions,” said Environmental Health Director Dan Lark at the hearing.
Lark added that while some staff members are certified in food safety, the inspections suggest that knowledge is not consistently applied.
Bridey Matheney, attorney for Hunan, said the restaurant did not dispute violations.
“We are here to, quite frankly, ask for leniency and hope you will not suspend or revoke the food operator licence,” she said. “Since Feb. 26, (Co-Owner Aileen Chan) has done significant work to determine the root cause of some of these recurring problems.”
Matheney said Chan identified gaps in procedures that contributed to ongoing issues.
For example, handwashing problems stemmed from a lack of shift-start verification that soap and paper towels were stocked, as well as no documented accountability during service, she said, adding Chan has implemented a daily checklist to ensure stations are properly stocked before each shift.
Improper food storage was linked to the absence of structured daily walkthroughs of the storage areas, Matheney said.
The restaurant has since implemented dedicated storage inspections before each shift and clarified where items such as raw meat, vegetables and seafood should be stored, she said.
Sanitation issues resulted from the lack of a written cleaning schedule, leading to reactive rather than preventive cleaning, Matheney said, noting a daily cleaning checklist has been introduced and professional contractors are now engaged monthly.
Temperature control problems were attributed to inconsistent thermometer availability and informal time-control practices. The restaurant has since purchased multiple digital probe thermometers — required for all checks — and established written procedures.
Chan said recurring issues were the result of an inadequate system and that new processes are now in place. Separate checklists have been created for front- and back-of-operations, and Chan personally signs off at the end of each day.
She noted the new procedures began March 1, which board Chair Mark Hendrickson pointed out was after the most recent inspection.
Cady reiterated her recommendation for a two-week suspension and mandatory training for all kitchen staff, and noted how disheartening it was to see the same violations recurring consistently over several years.
Lark said the facility itself is clean, but concerns remain about how food is handled.
Board member Lynn Roman questioned whether current staff members are suited for their roles.
Chan said most employees have years of experience, with the exception of newer hires, whom she monitors closely.
Cady cited a staff member observed repeatedly demonstrating improper food safety practices while handling meat during multiple inspections.
“These are the concerns we have, is that the staff are not knowledgeable and they are doing very unsafe practices and this is not being corrected,” she said.
Cady said inspectors have observed nearly every kitchen employee make mistakes at some point.
Some violations occurred in front of inspectors even after staff were told to correct them, added Health Commissioner Adam Litke.
The required person-in-charge training will cover fundamental food safety knowledge, Cady said.
Roman asked whether language barriers could be a factor.
Cady said the training is available online in multiple languages, noting English, Spanish and Chinese are spoken in the kitchen.
Several customers spoke in support of Chan and the restaurant during the hearing, praising the quality of the food and urging the board to show leniency.
One speaker suggested the issues may stem from communication challenges rather than an unwillingness to improve, particularly if language or literacy barriers exist.
Another customer echoed that concern, noting the fact staff continued to perform tasks incorrectly even after being instructed otherwise.
Paul said inspectors are trained to work through language barriers and often walk staff through proper procedures.
Cady added multilingual materials, including visual guides, have been provided to the restaurant.
Chan thanked the board for its oversight and re-emphasized her efforts to address the issues.
This is a commitment and responsibility she is willing to take on, she said.
“I love what I do. I really love what I do,” she said. “I really have a very strong feel for the community. Thirty-three years, all my life is built up in one place. This has become very personal, it’s not just a business anymore.”
Chan said she intends to continue improving and serving the community.
The board voted unanimously to suspend Hunan’s license for two weeks.
