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The Shack Taphouse

444 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K 2J9 · Food Premises

Official record from Island Health →

Inspection summary

The Shack Taphouse has been inspected 3 times by Island Health (Vancouver Island Health Authority) since May 29, 2026. The most recent inspection, on July 23, 2026, recorded 4 infractions.

2 of 3 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 3 inspections with 4 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Food temperature control and Protecting food from contamination.

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.

  • 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 2 times on July 23, 2026. For example: Critical Inadequate Cooling & Refrigerated Storage of Potentially Hazardous Food(s)

  • 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 once on July 23, 2026. For example: Critical Food Not Protected From Contamination - Micro

  • Equipment and utensilsLower risk

    Equipment has to be built from cleanable materials, kept in good repair and stored properly. These findings are mostly about upkeep, like a cracked shelf, a worn gasket or utensils stored the wrong way. They are generally lower risk but show how well the kitchen is maintained.

    Recorded once on July 23, 2026. For example: Poor Sanitary Design, Construction, Installation of Equipment & Utensils

About this data

These results come from Island Health (Vancouver Island 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.

3 inspections

  1. Routine

    4 infractions

    • Critical Food Not Protected From Contamination - Micro
      • 1. Prawns were next to ready to eat sauces and vegetables in the top of the line cooler. This was placed underneath in the line cooler when mentioned, thank you. 2. Cooked roast was intended to be stored in cooler underneath raw roasts. Chef moved the raw roasts down below when mentioned, thank you.
    • Critical Inadequate Cooling & Refrigerated Storage of Potentially Hazardous Food(s)
      • Fish fillets for fried fish was at 22.0C. Fish is sitting well above the ice level. Fish was put back into cooler at time of inspection.
      • There should be a designated cooler for raw fish. This cooling with ice is not working. It can be placed together with the raw prawns.
    • Critical Inadequate Cooling & Refrigerated Storage of Potentially Hazardous Food(s)
      • Whole roast beef is cooked, cooled on racks for about 1.5hrs and then placed in the cooler whole. Interior of roast is intended to be raw, then recooked (unknown temperature) in Au Jus and then served. There is no quartering of the beef as the chef explained this would cause juices to run and the intention is to keep this tender as possible.
      • This process should have monitoring of temperatures for cooking, cooling and recooking since the interior is stored for long periods of time - raw. Prove that interior of whole roast can be cooled down from 60C to 20C in 2hrs and from 20C to 4C in 4hrs by monitoring the temperature. Alternative methods may need to be implemented - for example, cutting the roast into smaller portions or blast chilling for short periods of time to meet this cooling requirement. Records should be written and audited.
    • Poor Sanitary Design, Construction, Installation of Equipment & Utensils
      • Thawing of ham is done in the hand sink. It was moved to another hand sink during the inspection (at the back). There is another hand sink in the kitchen. The main issue is that there is no Preparation Sink in the main cooking area of the facility at all. Cooks are either using bus bins on top of dishwashing sink to wash vegetables including salad or using the dishwashing sink when it is not in use (e.g. in the morning) or using the hand sink in the main prep/cook line area.
      • This practice cannot continue. A restaurant of this size >50 seats, needs to have at least 1 produce/food preparation sinks in the main cooking area. Contamination of dirty dishes to salad and produce cannot happen. The hand wash sink in the corner could be modified to a single, large, prep sink or a 2 compartment sink. The other sink can be a hand washing sink. Comments Food Handler Hygiene: Hand wash stations are fully supplied with hot and cold running water, liquid soap and paper towels in dispensers. Operators had clean clothing for food preparation. Staff and Public washrooms appear clean and are fully supplied for hand hygiene. Food Safety: Food in cold holding Coolers are below 4C. Food in cold holding Freezers are below -18C. Hot holding items are above 60C. Approved Food Source: food ingredients are from an approved source. Food is stored in covered containers; food storage is mostly organized in coolers to prevent contamination. Maintenance and Sanitation: 3 Compartment Sink is fully supplied with QUATS Sanitizer. Dishwasher final rinse temperature is >71C at the plate surface (75.0C max rinse temperature). Sanitizer bottles have 200ppm Quats. Storage of chemicals is separate and away from food. Condition of equipment and surfaces: food contact surfaces and equipment are in good repair and clean condition. Pest control: there are no signs of pests at the time of inspection. Iodine glasswasher was between 12.4-25ppm Iodine. Test strips are available, great job. Administration: sanitation plan available on site and staff appeared to be following the plan. Staff is certified in food safety, please send updated copy of Food Safe Certificates for main cooks and chefs on site and for your catering staff. There are no issues on the catering preparation side, all coolers are adequate. Food prep seems to be separated in space and organized in the coolers as well, great job.
  2. Follow-Up

    0 infractions

  3. Initial

    0 infractions

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