Hotel foodservice near Seattle-Tacoma airport shut down for lack of permit

Guests at the Ramada SeaTac Airport North Hotel, located at 4006 S. 139th St. in Tukwila, WA, haven’t been provided with buffet breakfasts since Oct. 4.

That’s because the hotel’s foodservice operation was shut down by Seattle-King County Public Health because the establishment did not have an “applicable permit for service.” The action was taken by a Public Health food inspector. The Ramada foodservice operation has not been associated with any foodborne illnesses.

The rest of the hotel was allowed to remain open, and the foodservice portion will be able to reopen once the food inspector is able to confirm that a food business permit has been approved by Public Health. As of Oct. 11, the public health website was still showing the foodservice status as closed.

Public Health Seattle-King County routinely lists food establishment closures on its website shortly after they occur. The Quality Inn Hotel located at 1711 W. Meeker in Kent, WA, was the last lodging property closed down by Public Health.

It was shut down on July 11, 2018, for operating with a valid permit and failing to submit plans for review and approval. Public Health continues to show the Quality Inn as closed on Public Health’s food establishment closures list.

The Ramada Seatac Airport North Hotel is located in a mostly residential neighborhood five miles north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It is adjacent to an EconoLodge.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is the public health department that is jointly managed by the City of Seattle and King County governments serving approximately 2 million residents. It is one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the United States with 1500 employees, 40 sites, and a budget of $318 million.

Public Health’s Environmental Health Services focuses on prevention of disease through sanitation, safe food and water, proper disposal of wastes and toxins, and promoting safe and healthy environmental conditions throughout Washington State’s most populous county.

Environmental Health Services’  Food Protection Program reviews and approves construction plans for retail food establishments in King County; such as hotels and restaurants, caterers, grocery stores, school cafeterias and mobile food vehicles. The Food Protection Program also reviews applications for farmer’s markets, temporary food booths as well as feeding programs for the needy.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)