Broken sinks and too-warm refrigerators: See latest Stanislaus County health inspections

Stanislaus County health inspectors observed missing sink handles and refrigerators out of the acceptable temperature range at Modesto restaurants during inspections conducted in late March.

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 39 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, seven were not updated on the site as of Friday morning.

Warm refrigerators among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of March 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.

Denair Elementary Charter Academy, 3773 Madera Ave. in Denair, had one major violation March 17. The hot-holding unit had a hamburger in it at 132 degrees and a chicken fillet sandwich at 124 degrees. Hot-held potentially hazardous foods must be at 135 degrees or higher. The violation was noted as corrected during a reinspection the same day.

Churchkey, 910 12th St. in Modesto, had six violations March 19 — two of them major. The hot water faucet handle at the hand-washing sink in the bar area was missing. The cold water handle was missing at the hand-washing sink in the kitchen. The sides of the mop sink were heavily soiled. The drink pistol holder at the bar was soiled. The invoice for the annual health permit had not be been paid.

Sourdough & Co, 4500 Dale Road, Suite C, in Modesto, had three violations March 19 — two of them major. The internal temperature of sliced beef in a preparation refrigerator was 55 degrees (must be 41 or lower). The ambient air temperature of this fridge was 55 to 56 degrees. Per the operator, the container of sliced beef was prepared two days earlier and had been in the fridge since. The top lid of this fridge was left open for extended periods of time during and after food prep activities. Cut tomatoes and sauce in the upper part of the prep fridge near the point-of-sale system had internal temperatures of 45 to 46 degrees. The ambient air temperature of this fridge was 45 degrees. The facility did not have a current permit to operate. One violation remained during a reinspection March 25.

Giacomo’s, 1728 Oakdale Road in Modesto, had two violations March 20 — one of them major. The facility lacked a valid Environmental Health Permit to operate. It also lacked a food safety certification.

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

• Rico’s Pizza Express (opening inspection)
• Shell, 1728 Oakdale Road, Modesto (major violation corrected at time of inspection)

Minor violations

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

• Brave Bull
• Chevron, 2225 Claribel Road, Riverbank
• Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2207 Claribel Road, Suite A, Riverbank
• Crumbl Cookies, 2207 Claribel Road, Suite D, Riverbank
• Liquor House
• Mann Bros Truck Stop
• Menchie’s
• Panera Bread, 2231 Claribel Road, Suite A, Riverbank
• Sam’s Mini Mart & Smoke
• Save Mart, 2237 Claribel Road, Riverbank
• The Fox Pub
• The Protein Spot

No violations

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

• Ace Sushi at Save Mart, 2237 Claribel Road, Riverbank
• Bob’s Giant Burger
• Cold Stone Creamery, 2213 Claribel Road, Riverbank
• Doubletree Hotel
• Five Guys Burgers & Fries
• Le Saigon Sandwich Shop
• Panda Express, 2207 Claribel Road, Suite E, Riverbank
• Starbucks, 2213 Claribel Road, Suite A, Riverbank
• Target, 2425 Claribel Road, Riverbank
• The Habit Burger Grill, 1801 McHenry Ave., Suite D, Modesto
• The Market Modesto/Persuasion Brewing
• Walgreens, 840 Oakdale Road, Modesto

This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

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.