Badger Tavern
1612 Seminole HWY, Madison, WI 53711 · Dane County
Establishment
- Type
- Restaurant (retail food serving meals) (Primarily Restaurant)
- Inspected by
- Public Health Madison & Dane County
- License / ID
- LICFDD-2023-00287
- Official record
- Public Health Madison & Dane County inspection reports
Year by year
| Year | Inspections | Violations | Serious |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
Inspections
-
Jun 9, 2026 Routine Inspection · No Reinspection Required
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
CROSS CONTAMINATION
Food is not protected from cross contamination. In walk-in cooler, box of diced beef stored above RTE slaw.
Correction: During storage, preparation, holding, and display, keep raw animal foods separate from each other and from ready-to-eat foods so that cross contamination is prevented. Unwashed fruits and vegetables have to be separated from raw animal ready-to-eat foods and washed produce. If there is question of possible contamination, discard ready-to-eat foods.
Code WFC 3-302.11
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
PHYSICAL FACILITY - LIGHT INTENSITY
The light intensity from the lightbulb in the walk-in cooler is very dim.
Correction: Provide appropriate lighting intensity in all work and storage areas.
Code WFC 6-303.11
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
TEMPERATURE - COLD HOLDING
Fish batter near fryer being held on ice at 55F. Ice is just on bottom of container.
Correction: Maintain cold TCS foods at or below 41 degrees F.
Code WFC 3-501.16
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
TEMPERATURE - COOLING
In walk-in cooler, tex mex mixture prepped around 10:30am made from a mix of cold and ambient ingredients at 45-53F at 2pm. Product is in plastic bus bin ~4" thick covered in plastic with condensation.
Correction: Rapidly cool cooked food from 135 degrees F to 41 degrees F or less within six hours, provided the food cools from 135 degrees F to 70 degrees F within two hours. TCS food prepared from ambient temperature ingredients shall be cooled within four hours to 41 degrees F or less.
Code WFC 3-501.14
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
Corrected on site
THERMOMETER - INACCURATE STEM
Thermometer used to measure food temperatures is inaccurate by greater than +/- 2 degrees. In ice bath thermometer reading about 25F.
Correction: Calibrate or replace thermometer.
Code WFC 4-203.11
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
-
Oct 9, 2024 Routine Inspection · No Reinspection Required
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
COOLING METHODS
Chili cooled improperly in walk-in cooler overnight. Chili made day prior at 45F in center with lid on with condensation.
Correction: Adjust methods to assure that food is rapidly cooled from 135 degrees F to 41 degrees F or less within six hours, provided the food cools from 135 degrees F to 70 degrees F within two hours. TCS foods prepared from ambient temperature ingredients shall be cooled within four hours to 41 degrees F or less. Use one or more of the following methods based on the type of food being cooled: (1) Placing t
Code WFC 3-501.15
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
EMPLOYEE HEALTH REPORTING
Employees have not been informed they must report symptoms, lesions containing pus, diagnosis of foodborne illness, and situations of exposure to foodborne illness to the person in charge.
Correction: Person in charge shall inform or retrain food employees on required reporting of symptoms, lesions containing pus, diagnosis of foodborne illness and situations of exposure to foodborne illness.
Code WFC 2-201.11
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
HANDSINK - ACCESSIBLE/CONVENIENT
Handsinks in bar area are blocked with large sieves.
Correction: Provide an accessible handsink to facilitate handwashing by food employees.
Code WFC 5-203.11; 5-204.11; 5-205.11
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
SANITIZATION - CHEMICAL
The sanitizer concentration in the red sanitizer wiping cloth bucket at 0ppm. PIC informed that containers are filled with soap only.
Correction: Use test strips to measure proper sanitizer concentration and adjust the concentration accordingly. Provide training to employees on proper use and concentration of sanitizer.
Code WFC 4-501.114
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
SANITIZER TEST KIT
A test kit for the sanitizer quaternary ammonia is expired and a test kit for bleach is not available.
Correction: Provide a test kit or other device for accurately measuring the concentration of sanitizing solutions.
Code WFC 4-302.14
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
STORAGE - FOOD ON FLOOR
Food stored on floor in walk-in freezer, walk-in fridge, oil in cookline area, and dry storage room where several cans in a bin are stored on the floor.
Correction: Store all food items at least 6 inches above the floor.
Code WFC 3-305.11
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
Corrected on site
STORAGE - IN-USE UTENSILS
In-use whisk improperly stored in water at batter station.
Correction: Store in-use utensils in the food item with handle extended, on a clean surface, running dipper well or in a container of water greater than 135 degrees F.
Code WFC 3-304.12
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
TIME AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CONTROL
Operator has no written plan for using time as a public health control for fish batter on counter at 55F and cooked onions at 115F and mushrooms at 120F next to grill. Employee stated batter is made at 11am and usually kept for 6 hours. Mushrooms and onions made at 10:30am. Temps taken around 12:30pm.
Correction: Create a written plan for time as a public health control and maintain the documentation onsite.
Code WFC 3-501.19
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
Corrected on site
WIPING CLOTHS
Several wet wiping cloths are improperly stored on the counters.
Correction: Store wiping cloths in a container of sanitizer solution when not in use. Wet cloths used with raw animal foods shall be kept in a separate sanitizing solution.
Code WFC 3-304.14
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
-
Jun 28, 2023 Pre-Inspection · No Reinspection Required
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
CLEAN - NON-FOOD SURFACES
Non-food contact surfaces of window, cart and shelves by grill are soiled and unclean.
Correction: Clean and remove dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris from all non-food contact surfaces of equipment.
Code WFC 4-601.11(C)
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
CLEANABLE - NONFOOD SURFACE
Cardboard on cart by grill and tinfoil on shelves by grill that is exposed to splash, spillage, or other food soiling is no longer easily cleanable.
Correction: Provide non-food contact surfaces that are constructed of corrosion resistant, nonabsorbent, and smooth materials. Remove cardboard and tin foil.
Code WFC 4-101.19
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
CROSS CONTAMINATION
Food is not protected from cross contamination. Chicken stored above burgers in prep cooler across from the grill, and eggs stored over roast beef.
Correction: During storage, preparation, holding, and display, keep raw animal foods separate from each other and from ready-to-eat foods so that cross contamination is prevented. Unwashed fruits and vegetables have to be separated from raw animal ready-to-eat foods and washed produce. If there is question of possible contamination, discard ready-to-eat foods.
Code WFC 3-302.11
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
DATE MARK - EXCEEDED OR MISSING
Sauces made in-house being cold held has a datemark that exceeds 7 days. Dated 6-4-23.
Correction: Discard foods that are not datemarked, improperly datemarked, or held past the alloted 7 days.
Code WFC 3-501.18
-
Serious
Priority (CDC risk factor)
Corrected on site
HANDSINK - ACCESSIBLE/CONVENIENT
Handsink behind bar is not accessible due to blockage by strainer.
Correction: Provide an accessible handsink to facilitate handwashing by food employees.
Code WFC 5-203.11; 5-204.11; 5-205.11
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
HANDSINK - SIGNAGE
No handwashing signage is provided at employee handwash sink behind the bar.
Correction: Provide a sign or poster at each employee handwash sink that reminds food employees to wash their hands.
Code WFC 6-301.14
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
PHYSICAL FACILITY - GOOD REPAIR
The floor of the downstairs walk-in beer cooler is peeling up.
Correction: Maintain the physical facilities so they are in good repair at all times.
Code WFC 6-501.11
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
PHYSICAL FACILITY - CLEAN
Floor of upstairs food storage room is soiled and unclean. Soda bag caps and other debris is present in room with soda bags. Floor of outside walk-in cooler is dirty. Sludge present under drainage pipes of ice bins.
Correction: Clean the physical facilities at a frequency necessary to keep them clean.
Code WFC 6-501.12
-
Not serious
Good Retail Practice
Source: Public Health Madison & Dane County. History last read Oct 1, 2026. Violation text is the inspector's wording. “Serious” is the source's own top tier. About this data.