Public health officials report closing two more Seattle area restaurants. Take a Break Coffee and Kelly Cannoli LLC Seattle were ordered closed during the past week.

Public-Health Seattle-King County closed Kelly Cannoli at 11310 Lake City Way NE in Seattle on March 12 for operating without final plumbing approval and final health plan review in addition to license approval.

On March 18, the agency closed Take-a-Break Coffee at 3828 Lake Washington Blvd. in Kirkland for operating without a valid permit. once valid permits are secured, both restaurants are expected to re-open. Kelly Cannoli and Take-a-Break Coffee were the fourth and fifth restaurant closures by the public health agency so far this year.

Gourmet Wok Resturant and Lounge at 1630 Duvall Ave. NE in Renton was shut down on Jan. 18 and re-opened on Feb. 7. Gourmet Wok had to fix a malfunctioning walk-in refrigerator in order to come into compliance.

The Juice Emporium at 1528 Pike Place in Seattle was ordered closed on Jan. 31 after a sewage backup created an imminent health hazard. It re-opened on Feb. 5.

Public health officials ordered Ooba Tooba Restaurant at 15802 NE 83rd St. in Redmond closed on Feb.20 because its facilities were inadequate for controlling and maintaining temperatures. Ooba Tooba re-opened on Feb.25

At least a half dozen restaurants closed last year remain closed, according to the city-county agency. The Seattle-based agency orders the immediate closure of food service establishments for any one of the following reasons:

• A high score on routine inspections — high scores reflect more problems and low scores reflect few problems;
• Sewage backing up in kitchens and/or bathrooms;
• No hot water/running water;
• Electricity goes out;
• Other imminent health hazards such as broken refrigeration equipment, damage caused by accidents or natural disasters, or when the establishment is linked to a foodborne illness outbreak;
• No permit to be operating — permits assure restaurant operators have met all of the structural and equipment requirements for the menu items they serve; and
• The owners or managers interfere with inspectors’ ability to do their duties.

Public-Health Seattle-King County is the one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the United States with 1,400 employees, 40 sites, and a biennial budget of $686 million. The department serves a resident population of nearly 2.2 million people in an environment of great complexity and scale, with 19 acute care hospitals and more than 7,000 medical professionals.