By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Gritzmaker restaurant in downtown Zeeland has been closed for a couple of weeks as new ownership is being sought.
When a new ownership team takes over, it faces having to have the restaurant’s food service license reinstated.
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health Oct. 12 suspended the Gritzmaker’s license to serve food “due to repeat violations.” A bright red placard notifying the restaurant of the suspension was affixed to its front door.
“We were informed that the restaurant is closed and may be going through a change of ownership, but the owner has not responded to our attempts to confirm this,” County Environmental Public Health Supervisor Adam Zantello wrote in an email to The Zeeland Record. “The license has been suspended as a precaution until the owner confirms whether they intend to reopen and explains how they plan to safely serve food.”
The Gritzmaker opened in July 2024 at 120 E. Main Ave. At this time last year, restaurant management voiced support for lifting the city’s ban on Sunday alcohol sales, saying it would bolster its business. The restaurant received a license in January to serve alcohol on Sundays, a couple of months after the council approved legalizing such sales, according to Michigan Liquor Control Commission records.
During a routine inspection in April of this year, the restaurant was cited for several violations, including a buildup of grime and dust, which inspectors said could become a source of contamination. Also, several containers of food were stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler – inspectors called for storing food at least six inches above the floor to prevent contamination, county records show.
Then in a followup inspection Aug. 20, inspectors reported “multiple instances of improper handwashing,” including an employee handling raw meat and failing to wash hands before continuing to prepare food. A handwashing sink had been removed from the dish area for an extended period of time because of needed repair work. In addition, employees were observed wiping a food thermometer with a dry rag before and after use – inspectors said such devices should be cleaned before and after use, county records show.
The Zeeland Record attempted to contact Gritzmaker owner Scott Ingersoll at one of his other restaurants, the Mill Creek Tavern in Comstock Park. Several attempts at phone calls resulted in messages saying “this call cannot be completed as dialed.”
An email sent to Mill Creek Tavern was not responded to.
The Health Department releases a weekly restaurant inspection report every Monday. Readers can subscribe at miottawa.info/ subscribe. More information on restaurant inspections can be found at miottawa.org/food.
Zeeland Record
The Gritzmaker restaurant in downtown Zeeland has been closed for a couple of weeks as new ownership is being sought.
When a new ownership team takes over, it faces having to have the restaurant’s food service license reinstated.
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health Oct. 12 suspended the Gritzmaker’s license to serve food “due to repeat violations.” A bright red placard notifying the restaurant of the suspension was affixed to its front door.
“We were informed that the restaurant is closed and may be going through a change of ownership, but the owner has not responded to our attempts to confirm this,” County Environmental Public Health Supervisor Adam Zantello wrote in an email to The Zeeland Record. “The license has been suspended as a precaution until the owner confirms whether they intend to reopen and explains how they plan to safely serve food.”
The Gritzmaker opened in July 2024 at 120 E. Main Ave. At this time last year, restaurant management voiced support for lifting the city’s ban on Sunday alcohol sales, saying it would bolster its business. The restaurant received a license in January to serve alcohol on Sundays, a couple of months after the council approved legalizing such sales, according to Michigan Liquor Control Commission records.
During a routine inspection in April of this year, the restaurant was cited for several violations, including a buildup of grime and dust, which inspectors said could become a source of contamination. Also, several containers of food were stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler – inspectors called for storing food at least six inches above the floor to prevent contamination, county records show.
Then in a followup inspection Aug. 20, inspectors reported “multiple instances of improper handwashing,” including an employee handling raw meat and failing to wash hands before continuing to prepare food. A handwashing sink had been removed from the dish area for an extended period of time because of needed repair work. In addition, employees were observed wiping a food thermometer with a dry rag before and after use – inspectors said such devices should be cleaned before and after use, county records show.
The Zeeland Record attempted to contact Gritzmaker owner Scott Ingersoll at one of his other restaurants, the Mill Creek Tavern in Comstock Park. Several attempts at phone calls resulted in messages saying “this call cannot be completed as dialed.”
An email sent to Mill Creek Tavern was not responded to.
The Health Department releases a weekly restaurant inspection report every Monday. Readers can subscribe at miottawa.info/ subscribe. More information on restaurant inspections can be found at miottawa.org/food.
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