Lowell inspectors report Outback food-illness complaint; eight new businesses and one closure noted

Matthew Sheehan, who submitted the monthly development services report, told the Lowell Board of Health that the department recorded eight new businesses since the November report and one closure related to water and failed restaurant inspections.

Sheehan highlighted an Outback Steakhouse food-illness complaint in which two people reported illness after eating French onion soup. He said the city and Department of Public Health paperwork and a full inspection showed the problem resulted from operator error related to thawing and reheating a mass-produced soup product, and that the restaurant lacked thermometers to check food temperatures.

Sheehan said he and two team members met with Outback management for more than two hours, developed a corrective-action plan and began follow-up inspections. One inspector visited Dec. 30 and the restaurant passed that reinspection; Sheehan said a team member will return weekly for the next 30 days to ensure compliance with the corrective plan and the Outback corporation’s procedures.

Board members also raised ongoing concerns about at least one 7-Eleven (referred to as “711” in the report). A board member asked staff to check whether the same store has been cited multiple times over the last three years and whether ownership has changed at the Mammoth Road location. Sheehan said he would investigate and report back. The transcript also records a board member saying prior visits involved selling cigarettes to minors and other compliance issues.

Sheehan described inspections of convenience stores and said staff sometimes find expired dry goods (cereals and similar items). When inspectors find issues they contact the person in charge and sometimes require owners to review and rotate inventory; the board discussed handing educational materials to store owners during inspections.

There was no formal board action on these inspection items at the meeting.