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The New Empress Chinese Restaurant

110-1924 Summit Dr Kelowna BC V1V 1N9 · Restaurant - Food Service

Official record from Interior Health →

Inspection summary

The New Empress Chinese Restaurant has been inspected 2 times by Interior Health Authority since February 2, 2023. The most recent inspection, on June 5, 2025, recorded 6 infractions.

None of the 2 inspections on record were free of infractions. No inspections are on record from the past 12 months. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Cleaning and sanitizing and Food temperature control.

What these findings mean

Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. 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 is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.

    Recorded 3 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on June 5, 2025. For example: 7 Are foods protected from contamination?

  • Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk

    Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.

    Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on June 5, 2025. For example: 3 Are food contact surfaces, utensils and equipment washed and sanitized in a manner that removes/prevents contamination?

  • Food temperature controlHigher risk

    Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.

    Recorded once on June 5, 2025. For example: 3 Are proper cooling and reheating procedures followed?

  • Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk

    Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.

    Recorded once on February 2, 2023. For example: 7 Are there handwashing stations available and properly supplied?

  • Permits, records and postingLower risk

    Operating permits, required signage, written procedures and logs. These findings are administrative: the documentation was missing or out of date at the time of inspection.

    Recorded 2 times on February 2, 2023. For example: 3 Are written food handling procedures (Food Safety Plan) current and available on site?

About this data

These results come from Interior Health Authority, 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.

2 inspections

  1. Monitoring

    6 infractions

    • F1.3 Are proper cooling and reheating procedures followed?
      • Observation(s): As described by owner at the time of inspection, cooling practices do not appear to meet the national food code standard for cooling of advance prepared food (ie. advance prepared deep fried chicken, pork, etc). As described, cooling is occurring for an extended period (>1hour) at room temperature followed by cooling with lids on inside the walk-in refrigerator. In general, please limit the initial cooling of potentially hazardous food to 1 hour or less at ambient/room temperature followed by a cooling intervention, such as cooling on baking sheets in a safe location (ie, speed rack) inside the walk in refrigerator or, cooling within shallow containers with lids off (ie. 4" or less) inside the walk-in refrigerator. Once cooled to 4deg.C, containers can then be covered for refrigerated storage until required.
    • F1.7 Are foods protected from contamination?
      • Observation(s): Observed several food storage containers, boxes of supplies, etc stored directly on the floor inside the walk-in refrigerator and main kitchen. Some plastic food containers observed for direct storage of food were constructed of non food grade plastics. As discussed, please ensure that all plastic containers used for the direct storage of food are constructed of food grade plastic and provide additional shelving for storage of food, food containers, supplies, etc off of the floor in order to prevent contamination and for ensuring cleanability of the kitchen. Please also ensure that raw chicken and other raw animal proteins are stored adequately separated and below (ie. bottom shelves) ready to eat food inside the walk-in refrigerator.
    • F2.1 Does the facility have proper monitoring supplies?
      • Observation(s): Temperature monitoring records were not available and some thermometers were of low quality/unknown accuracy and required replacement. Please ensure that refrigeration and hot holding temperatures are monitored and recorded on daily temperature monitoring logs and available for review at the time of a health inspection. Please ensure that accurate (ie. NSF certified) thermometers are provided inside all refrigeration units.
    • F2.3 Are food contact surfaces, utensils and equipment washed and sanitized in a manner that removes/prevents contamination?
      • Observation(s): The cutting board located on the main cook like prep table refrigerator was observed visibly dirty, stained and with many grooves making this cutting board no longer cleanable. Please replace this cutting board to ensure that food contact surfaces are cleanable and maintained in a clean/sanitary condition. Please clean some kitchen surfaces (floors, equipment, storage containers, etc) where there was an observable black organic build-up.
    • F2.5 Are the premises and equipment properly maintained and operated in a sanitary manner (i.e. ongoing maintenance)?
      • Observation(s): The prep table refrigerator along the main cook line was observed with ponding water inside the unit and, water leaking onto the floor below the unit. Please address moisture build-up inside this refrigerator that may in part be caused by overstocking within this refrigerator &/or, service the unit accordingly to eliminate ponding water/excess moisture build-up. Please unclutter/organize the kitchen, including the removal of unused/unnecessary effects/equipment and install additional shelving for storage off of the floor. Please ensure that access to the dishwasher, food preparation sinks, etc are not impeded by clutter and poor storage practices as observed at the time of inspection.
    • F3.5 Are the FOODSAFE training requirements being met?
      • Observation(s): Please confirm that owners and an adequate number of foodsafe certified staff are employed to ensure at least one certified staff are on duty at all times during operation.
  2. Monitoring

    6 infractions

    • F2.1 Does the facility have proper monitoring supplies?
      • Observation(s): Please re-start daily temperature monitoring records for refrigerators and freezers and ensure that each unit is provided with a thermometer. Please also provide a probe style thermometer for verifying cooking & cooling temperatures, as well as, temperatures of food inside upper prep table refrigerator inserts. Please provide and utilize test strips for verifying the concentration of sanitizer solutions (ie. final rinse dishwasher chlorine and hard surface sanitizer solutions).
    • F2.3 Are food contact surfaces, utensils and equipment washed and sanitized in a manner that removes/prevents contamination?
      • Observation(s): No measurable sanitizer found in a sanitizer solution located beside the dishwasher. No measurable chlorine was found following testing of the dishwasher final rinse cycle. Please ensure that properly mixed sanitizer solutions (ie. 100-200ppm chlorine) are available at all times during operational hours, including during times when food is being prepped but the restaurant is not yet open for service. Please contact a repair technician to restore the dishwasher final rinse cycle chlorine concentration to between 50-100ppm.
    • F2.5 Are the premises and equipment properly maintained and operated in a sanitary manner (i.e. ongoing maintenance)?
      • Observation(s): Please unclutter the main kitchen and back dry storage room including providing additional shelving for storage of food 6"off the floor. Please also discontinue storage in front of the dishwasher to enable ease of access.
    • F2.7 Are there handwashing stations available and properly supplied?
      • Observation(s): Observed a roll of paper towel stored within the hand washing sink basin and no liquid soap at this hand sink either. Please ensure that liquid soap and paper towel dispensers at hand washing sinks are stocked and available for use at all times during operation. Please also reinforce and ensure proper routine hand washing practices.
    • F3.3 Are written food handling procedures (Food Safety Plan) current and available on site?
      • Observation(s): Please email and/or locate a current copy of The New Empress Chinese Restaurant food safety plan (FSP) onsite for review at the time of follow-up. Based on the nature of food service, including advanced preparation of PHF food for ease of reheating prior to order, please include specific details in your FSP on how advance prepared foods are cooled to within the cooling standard.
    • F3.4 Are written sanitation procedures (Sanitation Plan) current and available on site?
      • Observation(s): Please email and/or locate a current copy of The New Empress Chinese Restaurant sanitation plan onsite for review at the time of follow-up

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