When Grace Fenwick (CAS ’26) was eating at Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall last semester, she spotted a cockroach inside a dish of food at one of the serving stations.
“I see something move, and a cockroach moves across the thing of beans,” Fenwick told The Hoya. “I tell the woman that there’s a cockroach running across the beans. She started screaming — she had a serving spoon and she kept trying to hit it. She didn’t kill it, it just ran away.”
“I didn’t eat there that day,” Fenwick added.
Fenwick’s experience at Leo’s is not uncommon; since March 2021, the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) has identified 209 violations of Washington, D.C.’s health code at Georgetown University dining locations, including 51 at Leo’s, 50 at Epicurean and Company (Epi’s), 68 at the Georgetown University Hospital Main Kitchen, 13 at Royal Jacket, another Aramark-run dining location, and 27 at three locations run by the Corp, a student-run non-profit organization that runs seven services on campus.
The locations’ violations involve, among others, the presence of rodents and insects, unclean food practices and food held at incorrect temperatures.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), rodents can spread diseases such as mpox, salmonella and leptospirosis to humans through food contamination; storing food at incorrect temperatures, meanwhile, is a significant cause of foodborne illness.
The D.C. DOH, which is responsible for inspecting D.C.’s more than 6,500 food establishments, sends inspection teams — including food technologists, sanitarians and licensing specialists — to conduct inspections. Since March 2021, it has conducted 48 inspections at dining locations operated by the food services company Aramark, including Leo’s, Epi’s and the cafeteria at the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and Corp locations More Uncommon Grounds, Uncommon Grounds and Hilltoss.
Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall (Leo’s)
Since 2022, D.C. health inspection teams have identified 51 health code violations across six inspections at Leo’s.
The DOH labels Leo’s as a high-risk establishment as it extensively handles raw food, cooks potentially hazardous food and conducts advanced food preparation for next-service. In categorizing violations, the department distinguishes between priority violations, which can contribute to foodborne illness or injury and must be corrected within five days of inspection, and core violations, which must be corrected within 14 days of inspection.
The department’s most recent inspection Aug. 21 found two priority violations and one core violation at Leo’s, including dirty or unsanitized food contact surfaces, improper concentrations of hand sanitizer and improperly labeled food containers.
A university spokesperson said that all associates and managers who deal with food service are comprehensively trained on food safety practices.
“Our food safety measures include a food safety orientation before associates start work, ongoing manager and associate food safety training and job-specific training to continually reinforce safe practices,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are committed to providing a positive, safe and healthy dining environment for the entire Hoya community.”
Over the last four years, the DOH has found numerous other health code violations at Leo’s.
An inspection of Leo’s Sept. 23, 2021, found mouse droppings behind the oven at the sweets station, while another inspection Sept. 9, 2022, found unclean food contact surfaces and mold accumulating inside the ice maker.
The DOH conducted another inspection Oct. 27, 2023 in response to a complaint; the inspection found an accumulation of dirt and debris on the meat slicer and soda machine nozzles at Leo’s and observed unlabeled food containers and rodent activities in the kitchen and storage area.
Since 2022, D.C. health inspection teams have identified 51 health code violations across six inspections at Leo’s. (The Hoya)
Another complaint resulted in an inspection Feb. 12, 2024, which found rodent droppings in the kitchen and dishwasher areas; a follow-up March 27 found live and dead cockroaches in the kitchen.
Jordan Riddick, the marketing manager for Hoya Hospitality, Georgetown’s food services team, declined to comment on these violations. Representatives from Aramark did not respond to requests for comment.
According to a university spokesperson, these violations are not representative of a larger sanitary issue at Aramark locations.
“Hoya Hospitality, which is managed by Aramark, has rigorous cleaning protocols as part of its daily operations,” the spokesperson wrote. “While issues are occasionally present at specific stations, we have not seen any system-wide concerns. All items listed in initial city inspection reports have been corrected, either on the spot or promptly thereafter.”
Fenwick said the violations complicate her experience at Leo’s; however, she still plans to continue to eat on campus because she lives on campus and is therefore required to purchase a meal plan.
“The only reason I still go to Leo’s on a regular basis is because we’re forced into a meal plan, even if we’re living in an apartment and have access to a kitchen,” Fenwick said. “There are not really any affordable and good options for students, especially given you have to pay thousands for their meal plan whether you want to eat there or not.”
Other Aramark Locations
The department has also found violations at other Aramark-run dining locations on Georgetowm’s campus, including Epi’s, Royal Jacket Deli and the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital cafeteria.
Since April 2022, the department has recorded a total of 50 health code violations at Epi’s, including two relating to rodent and insect activity.
On Jan. 3, 2023, the DOH found mouse droppings and flies in the storage area; a more recent inspection Aug. 20, 2024, found rodent droppings in the kitchen.
Marina Quinterno (CAS ’28) said she has seen five rats at once in Epi’s this semester and said she was disappointed in the university’s rat prevention efforts despite the high presence of rats in D.C.
“They should never be in any sort of presence of a restaurant,” Quinterno told The Hoya.
Aria Didden (CAS ’27) said she found a foreign object in a salad she made at the Epi’s self-serve bar during the Fall 2023 semester.
“I had been eating it for a couple minutes, and then all of a sudden my fork hit something pretty hard. I looked through the lettuce and there was a nail — like a screw — in my salad,” Didden told The Hoya.
Didden said that she narrowly avoided eating the extra inedible item.
“I was really shocked, and honestly really glad I caught that before I put it in my mouth,” Didden said.
Maya Dow (CAS ’26) said the DOH findings matched her perception of on-campus dining and food services.
“It pretty much aligns with my view of Georgetown dining in general, including Epi’s and Leo’s,” Dow told The Hoya. “I generally consider eating at any Georgetown dining location to be somewhat of a risk.”
In addition to Epi’s, the DOH cited Georgetown University Hospital’s main kitchen, which services the hospital’s cafeteria and which the DOH categorizes with its highest risk level, for 68 violations across 16 inspections since March 2021.
A Jan. 25, 2023 inspection observed no employees washing their hands during the time of the inspection, a slicer with food particles not cleaned off and storage holding areas containing food particles and debris, which was a repeat violation.
Additional inspections over the summer of 2023 found evidence of insect and rodent presence. A July 10, 2023 inspection found violations including mold inside the ice machine, unclean food services and the presence of fruit flies; a follow-up Aug. 1, 2023, also found mold inside the ice machine and mouse droppings behind it.
Royal Jacket, another Aramark-managed dining location on campus, has recorded 13 violations over six inspections since March 2021. On Aug. 30, 2024, inspectors found food stored at improper temperatures, rodent droppings in between refrigerators and the body of a dead rodent underneath a freezer near the service line.
Violations Found at Corp Services
Besides the Aramark-operated locations, multiple dining locations run by the Corp have also violated D.C.’s health code.
A Feb. 14, 2023 inspection at Hilltoss, the Corp’s cafe in the Healey Family Student Center, found a total of 11 violations, including mouse droppings in the cafe’s kitchen, food stored on the kitchen floor and no soap at one sink. The inspectors also found that food containers were not properly labeled — leading to potential food contamination.
A followup inspection Feb. 24, 2023, found violations including mouse droppings behind a refrigerator and freezer and dead insects in the kitchen and inside a refrigerator.
At Uncommon Grounds, the Corp’s cafe in the Leavey Center, a March 27 inspection found six violations, including food held at improper temperatures, flies observed in the kitchen and display case and dust observed above the refrigerator.
Katherine Callow (SFS ’26), the Corp’s vice president and chief operating officer, said the Corp takes all health concerns seriously and acts in compliance with D.C. and university health codes.
“We hold all of our locations to a high standard of food safety and health code compliance through coordination with both Corpwide and service level management teams,” Callow wrote to The Hoya. “We regularly update and improve our cleaning protocols in compliance with DC and University requirements.”
“We have immediately addressed and resolved any concerns identified by the health department,” Callow added.
The health violations reflect students’ experiences in Corp establishments, including that of Neha Jampala (CAS ’27), who said she discovered a human fingernail in a drink from Midnight Mug, the Corp location located in Lauinger Library.
“I took a swig of my coffee, and on the fourth sip, I found a nail on my tongue,” Jampala told The Hoya.
Full Disclosure: Neha Jampala was a News Writer and Opinion Assistant for The Hoya.
Dow said she saw a rodent run through Vital Vittles, the Corp’s minimart location in the Leavey Center. The health department does not inspect Vittles because it sells pre-prepared food and does not prepare food on-site.
“I was at Vittles, at the checkout line, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rodent dash across the candy shelves,” Dow said. “I told the employees there that I thought I had seen a rat, and they didn’t seem very perturbed.”
Callow said the Corp has several precautions in place in order to prevent pest activity.
“Under our agreement with the university, Georgetown is responsible for pest management for our spaces through their usual provider, Orkin, who we coordinate with. Every Corp location receives servicing from Orkin at least weekly,” Callow wrote. “We have thermometers in every food holding appliance which are checked regularly to ensure that our machines are functioning correctly.”
Ruby Gilmore (SFS ’26) said the Corp’s violations have changed her perspective on the organization’s dining operations.
“Because it is student-run, this significantly reduces my confidence that students are getting the training they need, whereas at Leo’s or Epi’s, since this is their job, they are getting the right training,” Gilmore said. “The Corp is an exclusive organization that is incredibly selective with their employees, so for these employees to not be enacting health and safety practices is a little like, what are you being selected for then?”
Kaitlyn DeLucia (SON ’27), who has a severe gluten allergy, said the health inspection reports raise concerns for her around cross-contamination. DeLucia said she believes that the Corp tries its best, but still needs to do more to ensure a safe dining environment.
“Hilltoss — last year, they introduced gluten free bread, but then they only have one toaster, so it’s cross-contamination there,” DeLucia said. “I know some of their pastries, like baked goods, are gluten free, but they’re all kept in the same case.”
Callow said Corp employees at each location are trained to accommodate these safety concerns.
“Multiple Corp employees at every service have received ServSafe Health Manager certifications,” Callow wrote. “This certification involves a six hour, in-person class accompanied by an assessment which ensures that employees understand safe food preparation and service requirements.”
The experiences of students, like that of Quinterno, speak to the consequences that these violations can have on both Georgetown students and other patrons of dining locations on campus.
“It’s just honestly scary, because I feel like you have to be really picky with what you eat,” Quinterno said. “You want to help yourself make sure you’re not getting ill because of it.”
