Cooked?
Sofa Cafe
- resultFail
- critical violations1
- last inspectedSeptember 19, 2016
- address217 Newbury St, Boston 02116
Is Sofa Cafe clean?
Sofa Cafe is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on September 19, 2016. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.
What did inspectors find at Sofa Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 19, 2016, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Food Protection • Multiple containers with food stored on floor in dry storage. Ensure products are stored a minimum of 6" off of floorFood Protection • Multiple containers with food stored on floor in dry storage. Ensure products are stored a minimum of 6" off of floor
- ⚠️Adequate Handwashing/Where/When/How • Employee at time of inspection did not properly wash hands after handling money. Ensure proper handwashing and glove use by employeecriticalAdequate Handwashing/Where/When/How • Employee at time of inspection did not properly wash hands after handling money. Ensure proper handwashing and glove use by employee
- ⚠️Equipment Thermometers • No conspicuous thermometers in multiple refrigerators-ProvideEquipment Thermometers • No conspicuous thermometers in multiple refrigerators-Provide
- ⚠️Wiping Cloths Clean Sanitize • No sanitizer buckets set up at time of inspection- soiled wiping cloths on counters. Ensure soiled cloths are maintained in sanitizer solution at 200-400ppmWiping Cloths Clean Sanitize • No sanitizer buckets set up at time of inspection- soiled wiping cloths on counters. Ensure soiled cloths are maintained in sanitizer solution at 200-400ppm
- ⚠️Non-Food Contact Surfaces Clean • Interiors of all refrigerators and freezers with food soils and debris- Clean with proper frequency Interiors of cabinets with soils- CleanNon-Food Contact Surfaces Clean • Interiors of all refrigerators and freezers with food soils and debris- Clean with proper frequency Interiors of cabinets with soils- Clean
- ⚠️Improper Cleaning of Receptacles • Exteriors or barrels with soils and food splashes- CleanImproper Cleaning of Receptacles • Exteriors or barrels with soils and food splashes- Clean
- ⚠️Improper Maintenance of Floors • Floors under and around equipment with heavy soils and dried rodent droppings. Clean with proper frequency Manager provided updated pest control reportsImproper Maintenance of Floors • Floors under and around equipment with heavy soils and dried rodent droppings. Clean with proper frequency Manager provided updated pest control reports
When was Sofa Cafe last inspected?
Sofa Cafe has 10 inspections on record going back to March 24, 2014.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2022 | — | |
| September 26, 2016 | — | |
| September 19, 2016 | Fail | |
| October 23, 2015 | — | |
| June 3, 2015 | Pass | |
| May 27, 2015 | Fail | |
| October 3, 2014 | Pass | |
| September 29, 2014 | Fail | |
| March 25, 2014 | Pass | |
| March 24, 2014 | Fail |
Sofa Cafe vs Back Bay
Back Bay runs 78% clean across 519 tracked restaurants — 402 clean, 46 mid, 65 cooked.
Against the 519 spots Cooked tracks in Back Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 9% of them.
Other spots in Back Bay
How Boston grades restaurants
Boston reports inspections as a pass or a fail, with no score and no letter. What separates a bad fail from a trivial one is the violation severity ladder: a single star is a minor issue, two stars is more serious, and three stars marks a critical foodborne-illness risk factor — temperature abuse, bad handwashing, cross-contamination. A restaurant can fail on paperwork alone, which is not the same as failing on food safety. Cooked splits Boston fails accordingly: a fail with a three-star violation reads cooked, a fail on minor items only reads mid.
Source: Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division via Analyze Boston. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated September 19, 2016. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.