Colonial Manor of Randolph: Staffing Deficiencies - NE
The same cook repeated this pattern throughout the lunch service on October 1st. She microwaved soup for one minute and served it without taking its temperature. She heated another hot dog for 50 seconds, added mustard and ketchup, and served it without any temperature check.
When inspectors interviewed the dietary cook at 12:55 PM that day, she confirmed she had failed to check temperatures on the hot dogs and soup. She acknowledged that all food items should have temperatures taken and recorded before serving, and that reheated food should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it's safe and palatable.
The cook explained that staff had failed to obtain and document food temperatures "at times throughout the month of September due to staffing concerns."
Those staffing concerns created a month-long pattern of ignored food safety protocols that affected all 24 residents who ate meals from the kitchen. The facility houses 44 total residents.
Colonial Manor's own policy requires staff to take and record food temperatures for each meal. Hot food must be maintained at 135 degrees or higher. Food that's cooked and then refrigerated must be reheated to 165 degrees throughout.
But temperature logs from August 31st through October 1st reveal systematic failures to follow these basic safety measures.
For an entire week from August 31st to September 6th, no food temperatures were recorded for breakfast, lunch, or dinner on any day.
The following week showed sporadic compliance at best. No breakfast temperatures were documented on September 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Lunch temperatures were missing on September 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Evening meal temperatures weren't recorded on September 8th, 9th, 10th, and 13th.
September 14th through 20th continued the pattern. Breakfast and lunch temperatures were completely undocumented on September 14th, 15th, and 20th. Evening temperatures were missing on September 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th.
The final week of September offered no improvement. Both breakfast and lunch temperatures went unrecorded on September 21st and 26th. Evening meal temperatures were missing on September 21st, 22nd, and 27th.
Even at the start of October, problems persisted. On September 29th, no temperatures were documented for any of the three daily meals. Evening temperatures weren't recorded on September 30th either.
This wasn't simply a paperwork problem. The October 1st observation revealed that staff weren't just failing to document temperatures — they weren't checking them at all.
Inspectors watched the dietary cook remove pre-cooked hot dogs from the refrigerator and microwave them for less than a minute before serving. The brief heating times suggest the food likely remained cold or lukewarm when it reached residents.
Soup stored in the refrigerator received only one minute of microwave heating before being served. Without temperature verification, residents may have received cold soup that appeared hot on the surface but remained dangerously cool underneath.
The facility's policy exists for good reason. Food that appears reheated but hasn't reached proper internal temperatures can harbor harmful bacteria. For elderly nursing home residents with compromised immune systems, eating inadequately heated food poses serious health risks.
Cold food also violates basic dignity standards. Residents deserve meals that are not only safe but actually appetizing and pleasant to eat.
The dietary cook's admission that staffing concerns drove the failures suggests the problems may continue. When facilities cut corners on basic food safety due to understaffing, residents pay the price with every meal.
Colonial Manor's 24 dining residents spent weeks receiving food that may have been cold, unsafe, or both. The facility's own records document the scope of the failures, meal after meal, day after day, with no evidence that anyone noticed or cared enough to fix the problem until inspectors arrived.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Colonial Manor of Randolph from 2025-11-24 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Colonial Manor of Randolph in Randolph, NE was cited for violations during a health inspection on November 24, 2025.
The same cook repeated this pattern throughout the lunch service on October 1st.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.