Biz Beat

Grocery cart in a bathroom and shampoo in a soap dispenser: Stanislaus County inspections

In our Reality Check stories, Modesto Bee journalists deliver fast facts about the issues that matter to local residents to hold officials and institutions accountable. Read more. Story idea? Tips@modbee.com.

A grocery cart was observed stored in the bathroom of a Turlock gas station and purple shampoo was in the soap dispenser of this bathroom during health inspections conducted in Stanislaus County in late August.

Cockroaches near a dishwasher and “objectionable odors” as well as sticky floors were some of the other violations.

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.

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Of the 74 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, eight were not updated on the site as of Thursday morning.

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.

Cockroaches among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Aug. 26 - Sept. 1. 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.

Black Bear Diner, 2200 Plaza Parkway in Modesto, had two violations on Aug. 26 — one of them major. The prep table maintaining potentially hazardous foods was noted at 52 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). There was a hole in the ceiling near the office that was large enough to potentially allow vermin passage to the kitchen.

Hughson Asian Kitchen, 6902 Hughson Ave. in Hughson, had four violations on Aug. 26. Kitchen appliance surfaces and hand-to-hand contact points had a grease residue buildup. The interior of the stainless steel barbecue had grease accumulation. Metal panels had grease residue built up in the cooking area. The kitchen hand sink was not operational.

Gas and Market, 2241 Yosemite Blvd. in Modesto, had six violations on Aug. 27 — one of them major. There was no hot water at the three-compartment sink and the wastewater conduit was leaking wastewater. The ice machine room was cluttered and the ice scoop was placed on plastic bags. The janitorial sink cold water valve was turned off. The bathroom dispenser lacked toilet paper.

Easy Day Gas & Liquor, 1405 N. Golden State Blvd. in Turlock, had ten violations on Aug. 27 — six of them major. There was no sanitizer present in the the three-compartment sink for ware washing, the sanitizer buckets were not set up and sanitizer test strips were lacking. The soap was empty at both the bathroom hand washing sink and the three-compartment sink. An empty bottle of purple shampoo was tilted over inside the hand-soap dispenser in the bathroom. There was purple residue observed inside the dispenser. The paper towel dispenser was empty.

A grocery cart and two stacks of food shelves were stored inside the bathroom. The bathroom had “objectionable odors,” the floors were sticky and there was no toilet paper. The bathroom hand sink water temperature was 81 degrees. Food handler cards were lacking.

Due to six of the violations, the facility’s permit was restricted to prepackaged food sales only. The facility was told to place out-of-order signs on all of the soda and coffee dispensers. During a reinspection on Aug. 28, one major violation remained.

Alfonso’s Restaurant, 2375 Lawrence St. in Ceres, had five violations on Aug. 27 — one of them major. The beans at the steam table were between 98 and 124 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). The preparation refrigerator was not in use and not operational. The walk-in refrigerator and employee restroom doors had stain residue buildup. The side entrance screen door had a large accumulation of dust. There were no paper towels in the bathroom dispenser.

D’Forno Cosina, 918 13th St. in Modesto, had five violations on Aug. 28. A used apron was left on a cutting board. The drink pistol holder was soiled. The lime and lemon squeezer had deteriorated surfaces. The back door was open and there was no soap in the employee bathroom.

JC’s Cafe, 480 E. F St. in Oakdale, had four violations on Aug. 28. There were raw proteins next to a container of cooked rice in the walk-in refrigerator. The ceiling of this fridge had growth where the cooling units are. The ceiling vents in the cooking area had accumulated dust. The ambient temperature of the salad and salsa food prep refrigerator was 44 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower).

China House, 400 E. F St. in Oakdale, had three violations on Aug. 28. Dish cloths were being used to support the cutting boards at the food prep station, and there was growth accumulating on the cloths. There was food debris on the wall of the food prep sink and the paint was peeling off of the wall. The vents on the cook line were covered with dust, potentially posing as a fire hazard.

Pearl Palace, 1230 E. F St. in Oakdale, had four violations on Aug. 28. Dish clothes were being used to stabilize the cutting boards, and various cutting boards were fuzzy. The staff was unable to clean the boards efficiently. A large bowl of chow mein was sitting at room temperature on the cook line. The two-compartment sink was leaking and there was water damage on the wall where the sink is installed.

Noah’s Hof Brau, 1311 J St. in Modesto, had five violations on Aug. 29 — two of them major. There was evidence of cockroaches at the automatic dishwasher. A large container of cooked rice was on the food prep counter at 81 degrees (must be kept at 135 degrees or higher or 41 degrees or lower). There was food soil on many contact surfaces such as a glass refrigerator door, the handle for the towel dispenser and the handle to the walk-in refrigerator. The exhaust hood over the range was heavily grease laden. There was a large meat slicer on the drain board to the three-compartment sink.

Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections are:

These facilities had one or two non-major violations

According to Stanislaus County, food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:

No violations for these Stanislaus County food facilities

These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:

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Dominique Williams
The Modesto Bee
209-253-9007
Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.
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