Kool Kone owner Thomas Strom went before the Wareham Board of Health on Wednesday, Sept. 5, with several employees to issue a formal apology for unsanitary conditions discovered at the mini-golf and seafood eatery back in August. 

The violation came with a $300 fine that Kool Kone has since paid. Kool Kone has previously paid a $150 fine to the Wareham Board of Health for similar conditions. A third violation would carry a $500 fine and possibly see the restaurant’s license revoked, but according to Wareham Health Inspector Patrick MacDonald, it doesn’t look like any further action will be necessary. 

MacDonald, who covered for Health Agent Robert Ethier at Wednesday’s meeting, said that Kool Kone has been more than compliant in terms of cleaning up. 

“They’ve done an amazing job since our initial visit,” MacDonald said. “And I’m happy to see them remain open.”

The August incident at Kool Kone occurred while Strom was away on vacation, he said. In his initial report, Ethier described containers of coleslaw and tartar sauce which had been left out of refrigeration as well as damaged screens and several other health code violations. 

At its busiest, Strom said Kool Kone serves upwards of 400 visitors. All food is made to order, and Strom added that it’s not unusual for the restaurant to go through 15 pounds of flour in a single day.

“At any given moment it can look like a bomb went off,” Strom said. “But at the end of the day, we stay on to clean up. What happened back in August was extremely unusual for us.”

Employees of Strom, many of whom are teenagers, came apologized to the Board. Family members of the employees were also present in a show of Kool Kone support.

“It will never happen again,” Strom said. “Believe me when I say we’ve all been deeply troubled by this.”