The Lane County Public Health Department has revealed several health concerns for customers about Espresso Roma’s condition within recent years, according to health inspection reports obtained by the Daily Emerald.
A cafe located on East 13th Avenue, Espresso Roma is a popular hub for students and locals alike due to its proximity to University of Oregon and nearby neighborhoods. The cafe has been a long-standing destination for over 40 years, and is widely recognized for its laid-back atmosphere, plentiful seating and a variety of food and beverage selections.
Like all restaurants, Espresso Roma undergoes semi-annual health inspections by Lane County Public Health. After an inspection, all facilities receive a sanitation score.
Espresso Roma scored an 80 out of 100 during its most recent inspection in July, scoring far lower than other nearby cafes students frequent to.
Dark Pine Coffee, a local coffee shop operating in Eugene for 25 years, received a perfect score of 100 on July 15, 2024. Meraki Coffee Co., which offers locally sourced coffee in Midtown Eugene, scored 100 on May 14, 2024. On May 23, 2024, Vero Espresso House, a Eugene cafe operating since 2009, earned a score of 97.
Since July 10, 2023, Espresso Roma has faced multiple health and food safety violations, but it began to encounter more frequent problems and subsequent re-inspections later in the year. The health inspectors cited Espresso Roma’s numerous problems including a lack of maintenance, improper date marking and holding temperatures for food, inadequate cleaning measures and more.
Espresso Roma previously maintained strong scores between 2017 and 2022. It received scores in the 90s and even peaked at 100 in 2018 and 2019. Its lowest score between 2017 and 2022 was 84, which it received on March 22, 2018.
Starting in 2023, however, the cafe started to slip and face challenges in staying consistent with its previously high scores. The cafe’s building also includes broken restaurant surfaces, potentially creating bacteria breeding grounds. The deteriorating state of their building includes rotting floors, a leaking roof and floor drain debris.
On Aug. 1, an inspector found “numerous flies in preparation areas in the facility,” ordering the cafe to immediately submit a pest control plan to the county.
Two weeks later, the cafe had not submitted the pest control plan and flies were still near food preparation. Espresso Roma submitted the plan during a second re-inspection, on August 20.
The cafe’s other ongoing problems since 2023, such as high temperatures for food and poor cleaning habits, have continued. Employees have been observed not practicing frequent hand washing when preparing food and beverages and food, and food was also found incorrectly date-marked.
Toxic cleaning materials in the cafe are left near food, too. The report revealed that cans of fly spray and Raid, a spray repellent used to kill insects and pests, were stored “under the counter adjacent to food storage at the front counter service area.”
Consuming Raid or similar insecticides can pose life-threatening effects, such as insecticide poisoning.
The Lane County Health Department suggests food should be kept at “135°F or above, or at 41°F or below,” to avoid the “temperature danger zone” where food-borne illnesses are most likely to germinate.
Yet on the same early August inspection, Espresso Roma kept sliced tomatoes, shredded cheese, par-cooked chicken, sliced cheese and yogurt all stored above 41°F. The cafe also kept burritos at as low as 128°F.
The cafe failed to fix the violations two weeks after the initial inspection. 14 days later, it still hadn’t corrected their ongoing behavior.
The cafe was found with debris built up “on the underside of the bottom of the slicer blade and guard,” which was first found on July 10, 2023. This occurred twice that year and had not been removed by the time of the follow-up.
Lane County’s Environmental Health office has cited six re-inspection reports since 2023, which require more frequent inspections until all violations have been corrected.
On January 27, 2023, Espresso Roma was cited for cross-contamination violations.
The inspection report indicated that fresh-cut tomatoes, sliced turkey and ham were not properly stored to protect against cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can occur when bacteria is spread from one food product to another through things such as contaminated utensils, tables, cutting boards and/or improper storage.
According to the Center for Disease Control, cross-contamination poses a threat to consumers as bacteria can lead to foodborne illness..
Despite the health violations, many students on campus share a positive experience at Espresso Roma.
“I think it has a really cool family vibe to it. I know for our club that we have, we have a lot of meetings and conversations over there so it’s a really good place to hang, do some homework. It’s a good spot,” said Zoe Kingsley, a sophomore at Bushnell University.
Freshman Kris Hauke also has fond memories of the cafe. Saying “I remember it being a nice, small, and cozy place. Just like a very classic cafe really so it’s a very nice vibe for a campus that already has really nice vibes.”
A Lane County Public Health inspector did not respond to the Emerald’s multiple requests for comment regarding Espresso Roma’s violations.
The Emerald also reached out to Espresso Roma management for comment on the violations. The current manager did not attend a scheduled interview and has not responded to the Emeralds’ multiple follow-up requests for comment.
