UB Dining Health Code Violations

Campus Dining and Shops (CDS) at the University at Buffalo has faced scrutiny over food safety and cleanliness issues at several dining locations. Over the years, students have reported or rumored unsanitary conditions in certain eateries, and county health inspections have occasionally validated these concerns with official health code violations. Notable locations include Sizzles and Hubies (in the Ellicott Complex food court) and the Crossroads Culinary Center (C3) dining hall.

Sizzles and Hubies Health Code Violations (Ellicott Food Court)

Sizzles (which now closes in the evening) and Hubies were popular late-night dining spots in the Ellicott Complex on North Campus. Sizzles offers grilled foods, while Hubies is known for pizza, wings, and subs. Both operate within the Ellicott Food Court, sharing kitchen facilities. These eateries have been the subject of student complaints about cleanliness. For example, one post on r/UBreddit titled "I'm done eating at Sizzles" showcases undercooked chicken in the student's sandwich. Another post, titled "Don't order grilled chicken sandwich at Sizzles," shows extremely (dangerously) undercooked chicken, which still appears mostly raw, inside of the sandwich. Yet another post about Sizzles shows beef that appears dark red to purple, indicating it is not cooked. Hubies has also been mentioned in posts regarding undercooked chicken, such as a post showing that the chicken is "actually pink." In addition to the posts about undercooked meat, other posts have made their way onto the subreddit about poor dining experiences - such as a bread bag clip inside of a burger.

Official inspections have indeed found violations. In Fall 2023, an Erie County health inspection of the Ellicott Food Court sites uncovered 11 infractions, 4 of which were critical. At Sizzles, inspectors noted that various perishable foods (such as sliced cheeses, tomatoes, and peppers) were not being kept cold enough (above the required 45°F), a potentially hazardous condition. Sizzles was also cited for unlabeled food dressing bottles, indicating a labeling issue. At Hubies (the pizza and fryer station), the inspection found that the pizza prep cooler lacked a working thermometer and that some coolers' thermometers were inaccurate. Additionally, there were general food handling issues like missing sneeze guards over certain toppings and open garbage containers with no lids in the food court area.

Campus Dining and Shops management claimed that violations were addressed immediately and that follow-up inspections showed all issues resolved. For instance, the malfunctioning cooler at Sizzles was taken out of service and staff were retrained on proper temperature checks. The open garbage bins were closed and a missing ceiling tile was fixed during inspection. UB's dining officials said that it's standard procedure to correct issues on-site and undergo reinspection to ensure compliance. After corrective action, no repeat violations were noted in the subsequent inspection for those units.

Crossroads Culinary Center (C3) Health Code Violations

Crossroads Culinary Center, known as C3, is UB's largest dining hall, located in the Ellicott Complex. It features multiple buffet stations and serves hundreds of students daily. C3 has been a focal point of student discussion regarding health code issues. For example, a post on r/UBreddit titled "C3? More like Cgivemesalmonella" showcases undercooked meat. There were also rumors about a "literal BAT in the C3 fountain drink machine" - an alarming story that many took either as a factual past incident or an exaggeration of the poor sanitation. A post by Reddit user r/lilcaliforniaroll, who claimed to be a worker at C3, claims that a manager "had to pull out a bat from the soda machine in front of the pizza station." While the post does link an Instagram video, it is no longer available - as such, this claim is unable to be verified.

From an official standpoint, health inspections have found issues at C3, though not an exorbitant number. In the same Fall 2023 inspection cycle, C3 was cited for four violations, although none of them were critical. The violations were mostly about facilities and precautions - inspectors observed that outdoor garbage dumpsters behind C3 had no lids (allowing pests), an external grease container's lid was left open, and some food items at self-serve stations (like toppings and fruit) were not properly protected by sneeze guards or tongs. For example, containers of things like flax seeds and granola didn't have covers, and the fruit station had no tongs for apples until staff provided them during inspection. There were zero critical violations at C3 during that inspection - meaning nothing immediately threatening illness - but the noted issues could "indirectly contribute" to problems if left uncorrected. All of these issues were rectified promptly, including the addition of covers, the supplying of tongs, and the closing of lids.

New York Deli & Diner Food Violations

The NY Deli and Diner, a kosher-style deli in the Student Union (sometimes referred to by students as the "Jewish Deli"), has faced notable violations. After it reopened post-pandemic in 2023, it underwent a health inspection that found seven violations, over half of which were critical. The critical issues included a walk-in cooler holding food at 50°F (well above the safe cold temperature), hot holding wells not keeping food hot enough (around 125-127°F instead of above 140°F), and improper thawing methods (thawing chicken in still water). There were also a leaking hand-wash sink and general food protection shortcomings. The Spectrum reported that these violations were corrected and the deli passed re-inspection by November 2023.

Other Minor Instances

A Tim Hortons in the Student Union was cited in 2023 for something as trivial as an improperly stored utensil (a spoon left in a parfait cup), and the Governors Complex mini-cafeteria once had a fridge holding guacamole above 45°F. These individual cases usually result in immediate fixes and don't generate as much discussion.