CHEF SIGNATURE, THE
#255 King St N, Waterloo ON N2J 4V2 · Facility
Inspection summary
CHEF SIGNATURE, THE has been inspected 7 times by Region of Waterloo Public Health since December 4, 2024. The most recent inspection, on August 27, 2026, recorded 4 infractions.
1 of 7 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 3 inspections with 8 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Cleaning and sanitizing and Food temperature control.
Recent inspections have recorded fewer infractions than earlier ones, so the record is improving.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their findings differently, so we group them by what they mean for your health. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food and supplies are stored and handled: kept covered, off the floor, and away from anything that could contaminate them. Where food is served, raw meat must be kept away from ready-to-eat food, a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 8 times across 6 separate inspections, most recently on August 27, 2026. For example:
Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Surfaces, dishes and tools that touch food or people must be cleaned and then sanitized or disinfected. Inspectors check sanitizer strength, dishwasher temperatures and how cleaning is done. Poor sanitizing lets germs survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 6 times across 4 separate inspections, most recently on August 27, 2026. For example:
Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed and maintained
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Inspectors check that anything that has to be kept at a set temperature, such as chilled or hot food, or equipment like sterilizers, stays in its safe range and that accurate thermometers are on hand. With food, temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning.
Recorded 3 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on August 27, 2026. For example:
Hot holding: minimum of 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
Building, plumbing and upkeepLower risk
Floors, walls and ceilings must be clean and in good repair, with working lighting, ventilation, plumbing, hot and cold water, and washrooms. These are rarely an immediate health risk on their own, but persistent problems can lead to pest or sanitation issues.
Recorded 4 times across 4 separate inspections, most recently on December 10, 2025. For example:
Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
Food safety training and certificationLower risk
Many jurisdictions require a trained or certified person on site, such as a certified food handler. These findings mean the training record or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean anything was handled unsafely.
Recorded 3 times on August 21, 2025. For example:
Separate hand washing basin provided for food handlers
About this data
These results come from Region of Waterloo Public Health, which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
7 inspections
- Compliance Inspection
4 infractions
- Hot holding: minimum of 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
- Ensure food is held above 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
- Refrigeration and hot-holding equipment maintained
- Provide easily readable thermometer in refrigeration or hot-holding equipment
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed and maintained
- Ensure equipment, utensils and or multi-service articles are cleaned and sanitized
- Ensure ventilation system/exhaust hood/filters/canopy is maintained in a clean and sanitary manner
- Hot holding: minimum of 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
- Compliance Inspection
1 infraction
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Cleaning required around, under, and behind kitchen equipment, counters, and baseboards
- Ensure floors are kept clean and in good repair
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Compliance Inspection
3 infractions
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Protect food from contamination and adulteration
- Store raw foods separate and below cooked / ready-to-eat foods
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Provide sanitizing solution for wiping cloths/rinsing large utensils/rinsing food contact surfaces
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Compliance Inspection
9 infractions
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Protect food from contamination and adulteration
- Cover all food in storage
- Manual dishwashing: Wash, rinse, sanitize technique
- Chlorine sanitizer concentration must be at least 100 parts per million at 24°C or greater for at least 45 seconds
- Ensure manual dishwashing includes the three steps: wash, rinse, and sanitize
- Hot holding: minimum of 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
- Ensure food is held above 60°C (140°F) after cooking / rapid re-heating
- Preheat the hot holding unit to at least 60°C (140°F) before placing hot foods inside of the hot holding unit
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Cleaning required around, under, and behind kitchen equipment, counters, and baseboards
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Separate hand washing basin provided for food handlers
- Provide hand washing basin in food preparation area
- Ensure hand washing basin is unobstructed and accessible for hand washing
- Hand washing stations must be conveniently accessible by food handlers
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed and maintained
- Ensure equipment, utensils and or multi-service articles are cleaned and sanitized
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Ensure a food handler or supervisor, who is a certified food handler, is present during all hours of operation
- Food handlers who come into contact with food/utensils do so in a sanitary manner
- Ensure food handlers wash hands as often as necessary
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Ensure wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizing solution when not in use
- Keep cloths clean, in good repair, and restricted to a single task
- Provide sanitizing solution for wiping cloths/rinsing large utensils/rinsing food contact surfaces
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Re-inspection
0 infractions
- Compliance Inspection
8 infractions
- Either mechanical or manual dishwashing is provided
- Provide adequate equipment (manual or mechanical) for cleaning and sanitizing utensils as required
- Food processed in a safe manner
- Process food in a manner to ensure it is safe to eat
- Reheat food to original cooking temperature within 2 hours
- Graded eggs used as prescribed in the regulation
- Dispose of ungraded and Grade "C" eggs
- Only Grade A or B eggs permitted
- Sanitary facilities maintained as prescribed in Ontario Regulation 332/12 (Building Code)
- Sanitary facilities altered in floor space, toilets or washbasins without approval from a public health inspector
- Fail to maintain design, construction and installation requirements in Building Code
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Cleaning required around, under, and behind kitchen equipment, counters, and baseboards
- Ensure floors are kept clean and in good repair
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed and maintained
- Furniture, equipment and appliances in food handling and storage rooms arranged and constructed to permit a clean and sanitary environment
- Remove all materials not associated with the daily operation of the premises (s.7)
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Provide sanitizing solution for wiping cloths/rinsing large utensils/rinsing food contact surfaces
- Either mechanical or manual dishwashing is provided
- Compliance Inspection
5 infractions
- Food processed in a safe manner
- Reheat food to original cooking temperature within 2 hours
- Maintenance of sanitary facilities
- Maintain sanitary facility clean and in good repair
- Equip sanitary facility with single service towels or air dryer
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed and maintained
- Ensure equipment, utensils and or multi-service articles are cleaned and sanitized
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Ensure wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizing solution when not in use
- Food processed in a safe manner
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