DURAND, Mich. (Mid Michigan Gazette) — Documents show multiple violations contributing to the brief closure of the China House restaurant in Durand by the Shiawassee County Health Department, which officials classified as “extremely poor sanitation.”
Mid Michigan Gazette obtained records regarding the temporary closure of China House through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The restaurant, located at 8781 Monroe Rd. in Durand, received a notice from officials in October of 2025 for “recurring violations.”
The Shiawassee County Health Department listed six initial violations. These included failure to comply with the following: the regular cleaning of non-food contact surfaces of equipment to “preclude accumulation of soil residues,” the storage of food in clean locations, the storage of employee personal care items, and more.
Following an informal hearing to correct the violations, the restaurant agreed to a voluntary closure of the facility, which began on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, and continued through Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
According to the documents, the initial brief closure allowed for “time to address matters of cleanliness throughout the facility.”
China House was required to have an evaluation of the establishment prior to opening a few days later, along with a revised inspection schedule with increased inspection frequency.
More than a month later, on Dec. 18, 2025, China House was ordered to “cease and desist immediately from all food service operations,” according to the documents, and listed 12 violations.
These included frozen food storage temperatures, utensil and equipment cleanings, waste handling unit concerns, and more.
As a requirement to resume operations at the establishment, the restaurant needed to complete the following:
“1. A qualified food safety consultant shall be contracted to assist with operational and compliance objectives… 2. A commercial cleaning service should be obtained to ensure compliance with cleanliness requirements to include: A. Food storage spaces shall be cleaned, including the food-prep line, walk-in cooler, chest freezers and dry storage area. B. Floors, ceilings, and walls. C. Cooking area, including ventilation and woks. 3. The refactory cement chamber at the wok cooking station will need to be properly repaired or replaced.”
On February 2, 2026, China House was premitted to resume operations following the approval of the health department as “the issues leading to closure have been adressed and resolved,” according to the documents.
Mid Michigan Gazette reached out to China House management for their thoughts on the situation. Restaurant officials declined to comment on the matter.
