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Jay-Z's Newly Reopened 40/40 Club Facing "C" Grade For Health Violations
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 21, 2012
Modified Jan 21, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 21, 2012
Modified Jan 21, 2012
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This week, Jay-Z adjusted ties with Warren Buffet at the grand reopening of his oft-troubled 40/40 Club on West 25th Street. And less than a day later, the club was closed once again, when an inspector found a slew of health code violations. And although the club corrected many of those mistakes in order to re-reopen on Friday, Jay-Z is now facing a problem even more odious than one of Blue Ivy's soiled solid gold diapers: a potential "C" health grade.
According to the Post, the health inspector found perishable food at dangerously warm temperatures (60 degrees instead of 41) inside the walk-in refrigerator; “hot” food left out on the counter; and the inspector saw a worker mixing salsa with bare hands. “If you have a walk-in place with food like this, you put a hell of a lot of people at risk,” a source told the Post. “A night of dinner and dancing should not include the risk of contracting food-borne illness.”
Spokesman Ron Berkowitz insisted to TMZ that it was all a fluke: the motor in one of the refrigerators blew just moments before the health inspector arrived, causing the temperature in the fridge to rise. He added that there “was no interruption in service or sales,” and the health grade is still pending.
Overall, the inspector gave the club 69 violation points, far in excess of the 28 needed for a worst-possible “C” grade (that grade will be adjudicated at a hearing next month). During its last inspection in March, before the $10 million renovation, the club had 39 violation points for problems including improperly handled food and unsanitary conditions. And that's not even counting the "rats."
Tagged
40/40 club
flatiron
health violations
jay-z
manhattan
soiled solid gold diapers
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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