Uptown Seafood was suspended from the Merchants on Points program Thursday following the release of the Durham County Health Department ratings this week.
Uptown Seafood was suspended from the Merchants on Points program Thursday following the release of the Durham County Health Department ratings this week, in which the restaurant failed to make the A grade necessary to remain a Duke vendor.
The restaurant, which was approved last year to participate in Merchants on Points, is subject to quarterly inspections by the Health Department. Uptown Seafood fell from a grade of 90 to 82 percent last quarter.
Jim Wulforst, director of Dining Services, said Uptown Seafood is the first restaurant during his eight-year tenure at the University to be suspended for failing to maintain an A grade.
Section 15 of the Merchants on Points contract states that restaurants must both maintain an A rating and notify the University when their health rating is less than that. But Uptown Seafood failed to contact Dining Services, which learned of the restaurant’s “B” rating Wednesday through a local newspaper, Wulforst said.
Although Uptown Seafood can continue to operate with its current Health Department rating—only restaurants that score below a C must suspend operations—the vendor cannot serve Duke until it obtains an A once again.
“We just have our own expectation that any vendor, whether it’s on campus or off, will have an ‘A’ rating or above,” Wulforst said. “We do not want to do business with anyone that does not maintain a safe, sanitary environment.”
Senior Danny Kedem, Merchants on Points recruiter for the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee, said the restaurant was originally approved because of its ability to fill the seafood “niche” missing from the Merchants on Points program, but that students have issued complaints about the restaurant’s food quality and delivery time. He also said the restaurant’s suspension will be considered when its one-year contract is considered for renewal.
“I believe that any violation of a contractual agreement with Dining Services demonstrates that one of our merchants is not necessarily fulfilling the needs of the student body,” Kedem said. “And as a result, if they have not shown good faith by the end of their contract, it will be a serious consideration as to the renewal of their contract.”
Uptown Seafood owner Steve Niu said the restaurant receives “quite a lot” of business from the Merchants on Points program and the rating is “just an accident.”
Niu cited problems with the landlord’s trash bin disposal, unrelated to restaurant management, as the reason for a five-point deduction in the inspection process. Regarding the loss of the other 13 points, Niu said “[the health inspector] just came in at the wrong time. We were just too busy.”
The restaurant will remain suspended from the program until it undergoes another Health Department inspection and receives an A rating, meaning deliveries to students will be suspended “until further notice,” Wulforst said. When a restaurant requests a follow-up inspection it is usually completed within 15 days, he added.
Niu said he has been in contact with the Health Department, and he anticipates a new inspection soon.
“Uptown Seafood is not going to go out of business because of Duke,” Wulforst said.
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