Rodent issue causes Stanislaus County store to close. See other health violations
Inspectors observed a live rodent and rodent droppings throughout the retail store of an Empire gas station, flies in the food preparation area of a Turlock restaurant and improper hand-washing practices at a Modesto buffet.
Complaints of food-borne illness prompted three of the inspections conducted at Stanislaus County food facilities in mid-June.
The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.
Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit also are inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the department’s office.
Dirty conditions at a Stanislaus County restaurant? How to report health code violations
Of the 31 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Friday, two were not updated on the site as of Monday morning.
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.
Rodent and fly issues among major health violations
Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of June 10-16. Only the dates of violations are listed.
The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication.
The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website.
El Coco Loco Mariscos Nayarit, 413 S. Riverside Drive, Suite B, in Modesto, had six violations June 10 — one of them major. The walk-in refrigerator floor had excessive food stain and debris buildup, and boxes of produce were stored on the floor. The men’s bathroom urinal was not operational and was covered with plastic. Some of the plastic cutting boards were worn and the food safety certification was lacking. The dishwasher chlorine sanitizer was reading 0 ppm (must be 50 ppm).
Empire Gas and Food, 5018 Yosemite Blvd. in Empire, had seven violations during an inspection June 11, which was the result of a complaint. Three of the violations were major. Inspectors observed a live rodent in the bathroom of the retail store at the gas station. Rodent droppings were noted on the shelving for small bags of chips and on the floor below the chips shelving. Rodent droppings also were seen in the backroom for liquor storage. The interior surface of the ice machine had stain/grime buildup.
The insulation on the front entrance doors had deteriorated. The lower part of the wall in a customer service area had damage. The lower part of the wall in the bathroom had the wall coving pulled out and foam insulation filled in the open holes.
The owner agreed to voluntarily close the retail food and drink operation until all violations noted were in compliance. During time of the voluntary closure, only the sale of gasoline was allowed. All violations were corrected and the facility was approved to operate on June 14.
La Morenita, 226 S. Golden State Blvd. in Turlock, had five violations during an inspection June 11, which was the result of a complaint of food-borne illness. Several live flies were observed throughout the ware-washing/food preparation area of the food facility. The rear door near that area was found propped open to accommodate a plumbing company that was making a repair to the facility. The secondary service door frame, near the walk-in refrigeration and freezer units, lacked weatherstripping, leaving gaps at the top and bottom of the door.
A light in the ware-washing area and a light in the dry food storage room lacked shatter-resistant covers. The facility had two repeat violations. Food handler cards for employees and a current food safety certificate were not available during the inspection.
Alex & Sons Liquor, 817 Needham St. in Modesto, had 16 violations June 12 — seven of them major. Inspectors observed a water heater under the three-compartment sink and the drain board of the sink being used to hold utensils. A refrigerator in the deli area was noted to have an ambient temperature of 50 degrees. Food in the refrigerator was noted between 51 and 59 degrees. The fridge and the food must be at a safe temperature of 41 degrees or lower. A heavily soiled wet cloth was observed on a cutting board with no sanitizing agent.
The walk-in refrigerator floors were heavily soiled with trash accumulation, especially under storage racks. Food inside the walk-in refrigerator was stored on the floor. An employee cell phone was stored in the food preparation refrigerator. The three-compartment sink in the deli area was soiled and obstructed with a meat slicer and a plastic-wrap box. There was trash accumulation and disarray in the basement.
The hand-wash station in the deli area and in the restroom were out of soap, and the paper towel dispenser was empty. The ice machine was missing its side motor cover and the air conditioner fan covers directly above the cash register and above the ice machine were missing. The carbon-dioxide tanks were not secured to a rigid structure. The health permit was not posted. The sanitizer bucket was not set up during the inspection and the two employees onsite did not know how to prepare the sanitizer solution. The sanitizer solution test strips were not available.
All violations were corrected by June 28.
Angelini’s Italian Restaurant & Deli, 2251 Geer Road in Turlock, had 13 violations during an inspection June 13, which was the result of a complaint of food-borne illness. Three of the violations were major. An employee was observed picking up an ice chip from the floor, and without washing her hands, proceeded to place the ice on the lid of the ice storage bin and scooped the remaining ice left on the lid back into the bin. The inside of the ice machine had black mold growth. The flour bin and lid were heavily soiled. Several pots on the cook line were heavily soiled and encrusted with food debris and accumulation on both their interior and exterior.
Several food utensils and equipment were noted on the floor. A spatula and two knives were stored between the preparation refrigerator and the sink. Bottles with cleaning agents were noted in food preparation areas. The facility was observed to be reusing single-use food containers.
Multi-use cleaning linens were collected in bags outside of the food facility, potentially attracting vermin. Several food employees were lacking their food handler cards. The lights in the refrigerator adjacent to the ware-washing sink were out of order. The sanitizer concentration in a bucket in the kitchen was cloudy with a significant amount of food debris and had a zero ppm concentration of ammonium chloride (must be 200 ppm and changed when cloudy).
Four Seasons Buffet, 1773 Prescott Road in Modesto, had 18 violations during an inspection June 14, which was the result of a complaint of food-borne illness. Six of the violations were major. Inspectors observed improper hand-washing practices by staff during the sushi preparation procedure. A section of tree trunk that had been used as a shelf was found in the kitchen. Cleaning supplies and a dirty brush were stored in the bathroom hand-washing sink. The ice machine was soiled with grime and the drain pipe was not draining directly into the floor sink.
Uncovered and unlabeled containers containing raw meat, raw chicken and raw shrimp were found in all three walk-in refrigerators. Raw shrimp was outside of the refrigerator at room temperature; the measured internal temperature was 48 degrees. Raw eggs were outside of the refrigerator at 69 degrees. Raw chicken was overstacked on the prep table with an internal temperature of 43 degrees. Cooked meat was stored at room temperature, with an internal temperature of 55 degrees. Potentially hazardous foods must be kept at 41 degrees or lower; eggs must be at 45 degrees or lower.
The walk-in refrigerator handle was replaced with a screwdriver. The walk-in freezer floor was soiled with food debris. A drain trench cover was missing in the ware-washing room, exposing the internal surfaces of the floor drain and posing a tripping hazard. The mop sink had been converted into a storage area. Toilet paper was placed outside of the dispenser, and the bathroom trash can had no lid. All of the food handler cards and the manager food safety certification were expired.
Seven violations remained during a reinspection June 25.
Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections include:
La Morenita, 226 S. Golden State Blvd., Turlock
Save Mart, 801 Oakdale Road Suite C1, Modesto
Westley Hotel Bar & Restaurant, 8615 Highway 33
Wing It!, 156 S. Maag Ave., Suite A
One to two violations for some Stanislaus County restaurants
According to Stanislaus County, food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:
Denny’s, 1555 E. F St., Oakdale
Family Dollar, 801 9th St., Modesto
Holiday Inn Express, 4525 Howard Road, Westley
Huckleberry’s, 901 N. Carpenter Road Suite 50, Modesto
Tandoori Pizza, 3181 Geer Road, Turlock
Taqueria Cardenas, 1017 J St., Modesto
Tea Lite, 3848 McHenry Ave., Suite 120
These restaurants had clean inspection reports
These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:
