The grill is back on at Roanoke’s Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building.
Star City Cafe cooks breakfast and lunch weekdays in a basement restaurant space that a city official said had been vacant for nearly a year.
The cafe belongs to the city government and is managed by the Berglund Center, said Berglund General Manager Robyn Schon Smith.
Patrons can choose from several “hot lunch baskets,” which come with fries, a salad or soup, and are anchored by a burger, chicken bacon Swiss sandwich, “ultimate” cheesesteak or chicken tenderloins, at $7.50. They’re the priciest menu items, an online menu showed. Star City seats 40 people.
The Virginia Department of Health ruled the restaurant out of compliance in a pre-opening inspection with a staffing requirement to ensure food safety. The state requires restaurants to engage with a certified food protection manager. Schon Smith said the Berglund Center, a Williamson Road events center, employs a food and beverage manager with the credential, but that the person is on long-term leave. VDH spokeswoman Christie Wills said her agency “would recommend the restaurant get another person more actively into the role.”
