05F — Refrigerated or hot-holding equipment for PHFs not provided
If your equipment cannot physically keep food at a safe temperature, food sits in the danger zone and grows bacteria. The inspector judges whether you have enough working cold and hot holding for your volume. A fully failed walk-in with food warming up can be an imminent hazard and a closure, not just points. It is cited at 10 points and rises to 28 if not corrected.
What the inspector looks for
During a full service load, open every refrigeration and hot-holding unit and probe the actual food (the air gauge reads colder than the food). Cold units must show 41°F or below — aim 36-38°F; hot wells must show 140°F or above. A unit with food sitting above 41°F, or a hot well below 140°F, is the violation.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 10 points — Cited at 10 (condition IV); failure to correct (Pre-Permit Serious) → 28. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Provide adequate, working refrigeration or hot-holding equipment; reduce held volume to what existing equipment can keep at temperature.
How to prevent it
Size and maintain holding equipment for your volume; service units proactively; monitor ambient temperatures with thermometers.
- ✓Size your holding equipment to your busiest service and keep a backup plan (spare unit, ice, a nearby walk-in) for breakdowns.
- ✓Service refrigeration proactively — clean coils, check gaskets, and calibrate at least yearly — so units hold temperature on a hot day.
- ✓Do not overload a unit; leave airflow space so the whole load stays at or below 41°F.
- ✓Put a thermometer in every unit and log temperatures so you catch a failing compressor before food is lost.
Reference: Health Code §81.18
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