Modesto restaurant closed due to sightings of rodent, droppings. What else was found?

Rodent sightings, fruit flies and employees not washing hands or changing gloves between tasks were among violations observed by Stanislaus County health inspectors in late February.

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.

Of the 42 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, five were not updated on the site as of Thursday morning.

Popular chain restaurant closed due to rodent sightings

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Feb. 17-23. 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, 3050 N. Tegner Road in Turlock, had 11 violations during an inspection Feb. 18 which was the result of a complaint. Five of the violations were major. In response to the unnamed complaint, the inspector said a strong objectionable odor of sewage was observed immediately inside the front door. There was no sewage coming up from the drains when the water was run and when the toilets were flushed in both the men’s and women’s bathrooms. The inspector recommended the person in charge get in contact with a qualified professional for the smell.

In the ware-washing area, there were several tiles lifted off of the floor and wastewater was puddling within the space of the missing tiles. Water pressure at the hand-washing sink in both the server station and the ware-washing area was not consistent. The exterior of the ice machine was encrusted with a white residue/debris. The prep-top refrigerator in the kitchen was at 76 degrees (must be 41 degrees). Per the person in charge, this refrigerator is used on weekends only. No potentially hazardous foods were in the unit. A freezer in the kitchen was out of temperature. Kitchen staff said the unit was in disrepair.

The hot-holding equipment in both the kitchen area and in the back were offline. No food products were in either unit. The walk-in refrigerator’s ambient temperature was 48 degrees. Potentially hazardous foods that were out of temperature were discarded and the foods that were not affected were relocated to another refrigerator. Water temperature in both the women’s and men’s restrooms was between 61 and 65 degrees (hot water must be a minimum of 100 degrees). The hand-washing station in the prep kitchen had an empty soap dispenser. Sanitizer concentration was at zero ppm in all sanitizer buckets. Food handler cards were lacking.

Winco Foods, 2200 Plaza Parkway in Modesto, had five violations during an inspection on Feb. 20, which was the result of a complaint. Two of the violations were major. The complaint alleged four patrons became ill after eating food purchased from the pizza department. The store manager was notified and ordered immediate corrections to the listed violations.

The hot-holding unit in the pizza department was at 132 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). The prep table cold-holding unit in the department was at 51 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). The food-prep sink inside the pizza department was lacking hot water. There were no sanitizer buckets in the department. An accumulation of dirt and grime was on the interior surface of the exhaust hood that services the mechanical pan washer in the bakery.

Los Hermanos Pollos A Las Brazas, 2031 Yosemite Blvd., Suites C and D, in Modesto had six violations Feb. 20 — four of them major. Employees were observed not washing their hands or changing gloves between tasks when handling food. The soap dispenser at the hand-washing station in the kitchen was not operational. The paper towel dispenser at the hand-washing station was empty. An employee’s cell phone was observed directly on a cutting board used for produce. Cooked rice was being held between 110 and 115 degrees (must be 135 degrees or above). The rice was discarded during the inspection. The drain line to the three-compartment sink was observed inside the floor sink.

One violation remained during a reinspection Feb. 24.

Wendy’s, 1617 N. Carpenter Road in Modesto, had six violations Feb. 20. Fryer baskets and other pieces of food equipment were stored atop the cabinet in the manager’s office. During the inspection, one of the baskets fell off of the cabinet and onto an employee. Grime had accumulated on the interior surface of the main ice machine bin, particularly on the white chute within the bin. Ice had accumulated on the condenser unit in the milk refrigerator near the drive-thru window. The ambient air temperature within this refrigerator was 44 degrees (must be 41 degrees). The facility operators moved the milk to the walk-in refrigerator while inspector was present. Ice had also accumulated on the ceiling within the walk-in freezer.

The hand-washing sink was not operational. Per operators onsite, the sink had been out of service since the morning, and all employees had been using another hand-washing sink. The floor of the ware-washing area was lacking tiles in an area of approximately 2 square feet near the floor drain.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill, 3900 Sisk Road in Modesto, had eight violations during an inspection Feb. 21, which was the result of a complaint. Two of the violations were major. The complaint alleged that a rat or a very large mouse was seen in or around the facility. A copy of the latest pest control service — dated the day of the inspection — was provided to the inspector. The pest control company had been called out that morning as an employee had seen a mouse in the facility. Per the report, the pest control company placed traps for rodent activity under and on top of shelves with bait. The food facility voluntarily closed to conduct a thorough, deep cleaning.

During the inspection, inspectors observed rodent droppings on the floor, on shelving units and on boxes in the back area. A rodent dropping was also found in one box in a cabinet facing the kitchen entrance. Several fruit flies were observed throughout the facility, including the bar area, food preparation area and back area. The trash enclosure behind the facility had a large amount of grime, trash not in the bins and a small shed with boxes of old promotional material and equipment. The shed was not enclosed.

The exit door did not close fully and was sticking slightly open after an employee entered. The ambient air temperature of the refrigerator in the bar was 55 degrees (must be 41 degrees). Juice that was labeled as “keep refrigerated” and shelf-stable mixes were kept in this refrigerator. Where pipes lead into the area above the ceiling, some tiles had holes larger than the diameter of the pipes. Wall panels in the back area and in the area near the ice machine were separating from the underlying wall structure. One employee’s food handler card had recently expired.

Six of the violations were noted as corrected during a reinspection on Feb. 25 and two new violations were noted.

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

• Costco, 3801 Pelandale Ave., Modesto (construction)
• Jack in the Box, 801 Kansas Ave., Modesto
• Panda Express, 2053 Evergreen Ave., Modesto (major violation corrected at time of inspection)

Minor violations

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

• Beard Park Snack Bar
• Dollar Tree, 3225 Yosemite Blvd., Modesto
• Dulceria La Pinata
• Hong Kong Restaurant
• Hot Dog on a Stick
• Ishtar Cafeteria
• King-Kennedy Memorial Center
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 1633 Hatch Road Suite B, Ceres
• Nutrizone
• Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, 775 N. Golden State Blvd., Turlock
• Springhill Suites Modesto
• Ten Twelve Lounge
• Toscana’s Ristorante

No violations

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.