Several restaurants and food facilities in Stanislaus County were cited for leaking, clogged, or nonoperational sinks during health inspections conducted in mid-October. The Department of Environmental Resources (DER) conducts two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year for most of the 2,400 permitted establishments in the county. Food trucks operating under a county permit are also inspected, but these are scheduled and take place at the department’s office.
Out of 39 inspection reports shared with The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, one had not been updated online by Thursday morning. Violations were recorded at several locations between October 13 and October 19. Inspection reports do not specify whether a facility passed or failed; businesses may have corrected issues by the time of publication.
Santa Fe Market in Hughson received five violations on October 13, including a major one related to its electric water heater being turned off. Other issues included a slow-draining bathroom sink, lack of lighting, missing paper towel dispenser, and empty toilet paper holder. All violations were reported as corrected during a reinspection on October 20.
Village Market & Gas in Modesto was cited for six violations on October 14, four of which had been noted previously in October 2024. Problems included a hole in a storage room wall, lack of shatterproof protection for walk-in lights, missing fan cover above the ware-washing sink area, non-self-closing bathroom door, unsecured carbon-dioxide cylinders, and absence of sanitizer test strips.
Tikki Hawaii BBQ in Oakdale had three violations on October 14: a leaking three-compartment sink faucet and open doors to both the employee bathroom inside the kitchen and service area leading outside.
Gill Fuels in Oakdale received two violations on October 14; one was major—a display cooler was measured at 49 degrees instead of the required maximum of 41 degrees. The three-compartment sink faucet was also leaking. Both issues remained unresolved during an October 24 reinspection.
Taqueria El Agave in Oakdale faced five violations on October 14, including overfilled cold-holding units that prevented proper cooling of hazardous foods. Other issues included personal belongings stored near food prep areas, uncovered trays with hazardous foods found in coolers, liquid dripping inside another fridge, and an expired food safety certificate.
El Marinero Restaurante in Modesto had seven violations on October 15—four classified as major—including inadequate water flow from hand-washing sinks and leaks onto floors. The dishwasher was broken; buckets were used for washing dishes without available stoppers or sanitizer solution. A refrigerator registered an ambient temperature of 50 degrees. Kitchen ventilation hoods lacked filters and some equipment was not properly set up under hoods; there was no valid food safety certificate present. During reinspections on October 22 and again on October 23, some major violations persisted.
Dollar Tree in Oakdale had one major violation on October 16: a clogged drinking water fountain near the bathroom caused wastewater backflow into its basin. This issue was resolved by an October 28 reinspection.
Mountain Mike’s/Baskin Robbins in Oakdale had three violations—one major—on October 16 due to missing sanitizer test strips and unsanitary conditions involving soiled floors, walls, and shelves.
The convenience store “76” in Salida received four violations after inspectors observed flies around the ware-washing area and found that a kitchen sink sprayer leaked heavily when used. No current permit to operate was posted publicly; sanitizer test strips were also lacking. Following this inspection DER received a complaint about lack of water and soap at the women’s restroom hand-washing sink; this complaint was verified during an October 23 reinspection when all previous violations remained unaddressed.
The DER provides updates for individual restaurants through their website.
