In 2000, Danny’s Sub Shop was a chronic health offender. Since then, the number of health violations there have decreased.

Two years after a rash of health code violations at several of College Park’s most popular restaurants, health department records show most businesses have cleaned up their acts.

Between 1998 and 2002, Prince George’s County inspection records for 29 College Park restaurants showed several downtown staples were chronic violators of county health code regulations. As of 2004, most have shown considerably fewer violations and complaints.

Danny’s Sub Shop, Ratsie’s and Pizza Boli’s had all been temporarily closed by the health department between 1999 and 2001 for violations ranging from improper food storage to missing permits.

Danny’s Sub Shop showed the most progress: after receiving or not correcting so many critical violations between 1998 and 2002 it was regularly classified as a “chronic offender,” the popular late-night eatery was cited only a few times in 2004 for cleaning issues.

The shop had formerly been cited for mishandling food and repeatedly failing to keep its refrigerators cold enough to safely store foods that spoil easily, but inspections in February, June and October of last year found the fridges operating at or below the maximum temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Danny’s Assistant Manager Jody Chen attributed the improvements to new management that began last year. Since then, she said Danny’s has stayed away from chronic offender status.

“We were just inspected last week,” she said. “No violations are major.”

Inspectors’ reports from 2004 showed requests to clean food preparation and storage areas, cover all food containers in the walk-in refrigerator and store all food in the fridge when it is not being used. One violation noted bottles and canned drinks were once being stored in an unused bathroom.

A complaint of food poisoning at The Bagel Place led to an extra inspection in October, which found ham in the sandwich preparation area being kept just above the required 55-degree maximum temperature. The problem was swiftly corrected and followed by a recommendation that a lid be closed over the area when it is not in use.

The inspector noted that one employee at The Bagel Place had been sick with the norovirus that struck the campus over the summer and had eaten a ham sandwich, though no connection to the outbreak or the food poisoning was made.

China Golden, located off Adelphi Road northwest of the campus, received numerous violations for its methods of thawing and preparing raw meats.

During a November inspection, raw fish and raw pork were found thawing in the same container of water — a violation of regulations requiring them to be separated if not cooked together and requiring “potentially hazardous foods” to be thawed in a microwave, refrigerator or under running water. Raw beef was also observed thawing in a container of standing water, directly underneath a drainage pipe from the three-part dishwashing sink. Because of the potential for contamination, manager Yang Sheng voluntarily discarded the food.

The inspector also found evidence of mice and roaches at China Golden that appeared to have spread to other parts of the shopping center. The county gave the restaurant five days to exterminate the roaches, and the problem was fixed by November 23.

Two of College Park’s bars also appeared to be among the most frequent violators in the last year. In February 2004, inspectors at RJ Bentley’s found mold building up on fan covers in the restaurant’s produce cooler and on the faucet of an employees’ hand-washing sink, and noted the dishwasher was only heating water to 90 degrees —not hot enough to meet the health department’s requirements. Both problems were corrected by March.

In September and October, the health department investigated two customer complaints at Bentley’s but found no major violations other than a problem with flies — solved by keeping the doors closed.

Santa Fe Café was written up last October for leaving trash and debris in the alley behind the bar, and employees had to be reminded not to eat or drink in the food preparation areas. A roach problem was also cited, but was fixed before the next inspection. The restaurant handily passed its most recent inspection, according to a manager who asked not to be named.

“We just clean the whole restaurant every night,” he laughed. “Simple answer.”

Lupo’s Italian Chophouse and Cornerstone Grill and Loft had only a handful of minor violations between them in 2004, from bottles being stored in an ice bin at Lupo’s to open containers of food being kept in a refrigerator at Cornerstone.

Several restaurants received violations for not having a county-certified food service manager — an employee specially trained in a nationally recognized food education program — present during all hours of operation. Subway, Danny’s, Papa John’s Pizza, D.P. Dough and Cluck-U Chicken were all cited at some point during 2001 for not having a food service manager on duty at all times.