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Cat lounging in a bar, cockroaches and rodent droppings: Latest Stanislaus County inspections

Restaurant inspection
Monthly restaurant inspections

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A cat lounging in a Riverbank sports bar, cockroaches in a Modesto bakery and large rodent droppings in a gas station were among violations observed during health inspections in early September.

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 75 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, five were not updated on the site as of Thursday afternoon.

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

Cockroaches and rodent droppings among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Sept. 9-15. 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.

Salt & Pepper Restaurant, 201 El Circulo in Patterson, had four violations Sept. 9 — one of them major. Hand soap was unavailable at the main hand-washing station within the kitchen area. The electric hand dryer in the customer bathroom was not working. Paper towels in the same bathroom were kept on top of a table in an open area. A trash can was firmly wedged against the door of the employee bathroom.

Gold N’ Fresh Bakery, 3430 Tully Road, Suite 17, in Modesto, had two violations Sept. 9 — one of them major. Live cockroaches were spotted behind the the reach-in refrigerator in the back prep area and in the dry storage area. There was an accumulation of dirt and grime in multiple locations on the floor and the walls throughout the facility. The facility was ordered to undergo an extensive cleaning and pest treatment process.

All violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection Sept. 17.

Keyes Mart, 4212 Christine Ave. in Keyes, had two major violations Sept. 10. The paper towel dispenser in the employee bathroom was empty. The water temperature was noted at 78 degrees at both the mop sink and the hand-washing sink (hot water must be 120 degrees minimum).

New King Buffet, 1550 E. Hatch Road in Modesto, had eight violations Sept. 10 — three of them major. The food prep refrigerator was holding raw beef at 43 degrees and raw shrimp at 55 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). Raw, uncovered fish in a food container next to the refrigerator had internal temperatures ranging from 51 to 66 degrees. The two cold-holding units at the serving line containing sushi, cut fruit and cooked shellfish had internal temperatures ranging from 50 degrees to 60 degrees. The ice bath water ranged in temperature from 42 to 46 degrees.

The roof access hatch was observed to be open (must be closed to prevent vermin entrance). Multiple floor sinks were soiled with food debris. There was exposed and unsealed wood found by the soda fountain. The dishwasher sanitizer was at around 10 ppm (must be 50 ppm). Several carbon-dioxide canisters were not secured to a structure.

All eight violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection Sept. 17.

Village Market, 3800 Patterson Road in Riverbank, had two violations Sept. 10 — one of them major. There was no mop sink installed. This violation has been occurring since June 2022. The employees are dumping mop water in the bathroom. There were various free-standing carbon-dioxide tanks that were not supported by a rigid structure.

ARCO ampm, 903 Fifth St. in Modesto, had three violations Sept. 11 — one of them major. There were numerous large rodent droppings observed in the storage cabinet under the milkshake/smoothie dispenser. There were also numerous unidentifiable insects in the floor sink. The sanitizer lever was at 400 ppm (must be 200 ppm and not cloudy).

APS Market, 3505 Central Ave., Suite 1, in Ceres, had 10 violations Sept. 11 — five of them major. Hot water at the three-compartment sink was noted at 84 degrees (must be 120 degrees minimum). A soap dispenser and a paper towel dispenser were lacking at the hand-washing sink. Soap and paper towels were also lacking. The bathroom’s soap dispenser was empty and a toilet paper dispenser and a paper towel dispenser were lacking. There were no paper towels. Sanitizer buckets were not set up and both sanitizer and sanitizer test strips were unavailable.

The ice scoop was stored directly on top of the ice inside the machine. One ice maker was in disrepair. The facility was noted to have undergone a significant menu change and remodeling. A food preparation area with hot-holding equipment, cooking equipment and refrigeration equipment was observed. The equipment was ordered to be removed until plans are submitted to DER and approved. Ceiling tiles were lacking throughout the food facility.

G’s Food Mart, 101 E. Las Palmas Ave. in Patterson, had four violations Sept. 12. An ice scoop was stored on top of a dusty ice machine. Beverage 12-packs and other food products were observed on the ground in the store aisles. Three indirect waste connections at three-compartment sink terminated within the floor sink. No air gap was observed. An updated Stanislaus County health permit was unavailable upon inspection.

Rancho Patterson Foods, 125 S. El Circulo Ave. in Patterson, had three violations Sept. 12 — one of them major. Multiple knife grooves were observed on and across cutting boards. The grooves were deep and stained. Nine fan covers within two walk-in refrigerators were coated with dirt and grime. The food manager’s certification was unavailable upon inspection.

7-Eleven, 3000 E. Service Road in Ceres, had seven violations Sept. 12 — two of them major and all of them repeat violations. The walk-in refrigerator had broken glass and rubbish on the floor and was in “complete disarray.” Pizza spatulas were encrusted with grease, grime and food debris. There were three cooking appliances without proper mechanical exhaust systems in place. The hand-washing station at the server counter was lacking paper towels and soap.

A freezer had food debris throughout the bottom shelf. Mops were observed drying on the floor. Free-standing thermometers were lacking for all refrigeration units.

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

Cat in a bar among nonmajor violations

108 Sports Lounge, 3119 Atchison St. in Riverbank, had one nonmajor violation on Sept. 10. There was a cat lounging in one of the bar seats in the facility where the food preparation area is.

According to Stanislaus County, other 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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