An inspection by Stanislaus County health officials found that an employee at a local restaurant failed to wash hands between tasks and did not wash dishes properly. This was among several violations noted during routine checks conducted in late September and early October.
The Stanislaus County Department of Environmental Resources (DER) oversees food safety for about 2,400 permitted food service establishments. Most of these businesses are subject to two unannounced inspections each year. Inspection reports are updated weekly on the DER website. Food trucks permitted by the county are also inspected, but these checks are scheduled and take place at the department’s office.
Of the 18 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, one had not been updated on the DER website as of Thursday morning.
Violations were found at several establishments during the week of September 19 to October 5. The reports do not specify whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection, and businesses may have corrected issues by the time of publication. The DER website provides updates on individual restaurants.
At Potato Stop, located at 3401 Dale Road, Suite 447, in Modesto, inspectors found four violations on September 29. These included buildup inside the ice machine, buildup on storage room walls and ceiling, broken utility plates, and a rice cooker that did not meet standards. All violations were reported as corrected by October 6.
Tikki Indian Restaurant, at 507 N. Golden State Blvd. in Turlock, had 11 violations on October 2, with seven classified as major. Inspectors observed a bottle of perfume and a basketball on a kitchen rack, an employee switching tasks without washing hands, and a lack of knowledge among employees about the three-step ware-washing method. Inspectors also noted that neither employee could make sanitizer, multiple live flies were present, and multi-use cloth towels were used for hand drying instead of single-use paper towels. The paper towel dispenser at the handwashing station was empty, and multiple food contact surfaces had food debris and dust. The ice scoop was stored in the ice, containers with bulk ingredients were unlabeled, sanitizer test strips were unavailable, and some employees did not have food handler cards.
Five major violations remained during a reinspection on October 7, and two major violations persisted during a second reinspection on October 14.
Del Taco at 2400 Mitchell Road in Ceres had four violations on October 2, including one major violation. A live cockroach was found beneath the soda fountain, and the handwashing sink in one bathroom did not reach the required temperature range of 100 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot water throughout the facility measured 118 degrees, below the minimum required 120 degrees. The wooden base under the water heater was also unsealed.
At Walmart, 1030 Sperry Ave. in Patterson, five violations were recorded, one of them major. The handwashing sink behind the rotisserie units lacked soap, and the bakery dishwasher was leaking liquid onto the floor. The mop sink was not draining properly, and damaged coving was observed throughout the facility. The sanitizer level at the deli’s three-compartment sink was too low.
Wildfire Public House, 1533 Oakdale Road in Modesto, had four violations on October 3, three of which were major. Raw shrimp was stored above waffles in the walk-in freezer, soap dispensers in the bar area were not working, sanitizer levels at the three-compartment sink were too low, and several cutting boards were damaged.
Other food facilities with three or more violations, or major violations, were also cited during this period.
The county reported that some food facilities had only one or two violations, none of them major, while others had no violations during their inspections.
