Jay-Z Sometimes, you should just stick with what you know. While Jay-Z is an amazing musician and a mogul in many respects, the food biz doesn't seem to be his place to shine. This weekend his high-end New York sports bar, the 40/40 Club, was shut down for some major health code violations.

Guess that's another problem to add to those 99 other ones. The things the health inspectors found will make your stomach turn.

Among those violations reported by the New York Post:

  • Perishable foods stored at "dangerously warm temperatures" inside a refrigerator that was set at a temperature almost 20 degrees too high to be safe for the meat and poultry stored inside.
  • Salsa being mixed by an employee's bare hands.
  • Hot foods just left out on the counter. (E.g. turkey burgers that should have been kept at 140 degrees were found to be 67 degrees.)

Once the inspectors saw what was going on, the doors were immediately shut, though those already inside were allowed to stay. There's no word as to if food was ripped out of people's hands or if there were any warnings given to anyone who'd eaten, but that's probably unlikely.

The restaurant then reportedly fixed the problem and reopened the next night, but this isn't their first violation. Last month they received 39 violation points for unsanitary conditions and improper food handling. Seems someone isn't learning from their mistakes.

Even worse, this closure came just one day after a big star-studded party at 40/40 to celebrate his $10 million relaunch. That means Jay-Z could have given food poisoning to the likes of Warren Buffett, Spike Lee, Lance Bass, and other high-profile people who were in attendance. Fortunately, there are no reports that he did, but that's a pretty close call.

With new baby Blue Ivy and everything else he has going on, I'm sure Jay-Z isn't in the kitchen micromanaging what's going on. In fact, he likely has no idea what temperature the refrigerator is supposed to be set at or how much of anything else works in the kitchen. Still, it's his business, and the ultimate responsibility lies with him. Here's to hoping he cleans things up.

Are you surprised Jay-Z's club was shut down for health code violations? Would you eat there knowing that it was?


Image via nick step/Flickr