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Stained toilets and a cockroach found during Stanislaus County health inspections

Restaurant 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.

Two Stanislaus County food facilities had stained toilets during health inspections conducted in mid December.

The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county get 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 105 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Tuesday, three were not updated on the site as of Wednesday morning.

Stained toilets among major violations

Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Dec. 8-21. 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. To learn more about what the violations mean, click the link below.

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Jalapeno’s Taqueria, 2001 Tully Road, Suite D, in Modesto, had five violations on Dec. 8. Chips and other bulk food items were uncovered. Ventilation fans in the kitchen were coated with dirt/grime. Paper towels were lacking at the handwashing station along the main cook line. Sanitizer test strips and an updated Stanislaus County Health Permit were unavailable upon inspection.

Kabul Express Supermarket, 2001 Tully Road, Suite A/B, in Modesto, had five violations on Dec. 8. Several bulk food containers were unlabeled. Paper towels were lacking at several handwashing stations. Sanitizer buckets were not set up. The food safety certification and health permit were lacking.

Little Caesars Pizza, 124 S. Western Ave. in Waterford, had four violations. The toilet bowl had stain buildup. Exterior surfaces of trash containers had stain/grime buildup. The floor area and coving of the walk-in refrigerator had debris/grime accumulation. A hot-holding unit had an ambient temperature of 128 degrees.

Beans Coffee Company, 12120 Yosemite Blvd., Suite 1, in Waterford, had three violations on Dec. 9. The surface of the food preparation sink had white stain residue. The wall-mounted light fixture in the walk-in refrigerator lacked a shatterproof cover. The paper towel dispenser in the men’s bathroom was empty.

Creekside Liquor Bait & Tackle, 12118 Yosemite Blvd., Suite 2, in Waterford, had three violations on Dec. 10. The toilet was stained and the soap dispenser in the bathroom was empty. An interior panel of the ice machine had stain buildup.

House of Random, 80 S. First St. in Turlock, had 10 violations on Dec. 11 — four of them major. An employee was observed switching tasks without washing their hands. The handwashing stations behind the counter and in the bathroom had no pressurized, running hot water. Sanitizer in a bucket measured at 10ppm (too low). Aluminum foil was being used to line the counter under two waffle makers.

The paper towel dispenser next to the handwashing station was not operable. No sanitizer test strips were available at the time of inspection. The health permit was not posted in a conspicuous location for public viewing and food handler cards and a food safety certificate could not be provided.

Garcia’s Market, 6450 3rd St. in Riverbank, had six violations on Dec. 15 — two of them major. The cold-holding unit was noted at 44 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower) and two hot-holding units were noted at 120 degrees (must be 135 degrees or higher). Fresh tomatoes were stored underneath and next to open, raw chicken containers. Expired baby food products were found for sale. Bulk food containers were stored without lids inside the walk-in refrigerator. The ice machine had slime buildup.

Golden Bowl, 124 S. Western Ave., Suite 1, in Waterford, had three violations on Dec. 15. The exterior surface of an oven had grease accumulation. Ceiling panels adjacent to the hood system had grease vapor stains. A prep fridge had an ambient temperature 41 to 43 degrees.

Viva Market, 2362 E. Whitmore Ave. in Ceres, had six violations on Dec. 17 — three of them major. The paper towel dispensers at the handwashing sink in the meat department and the bathroom were empty. Employees were unable to make chlorine sanitizer. Multiple dented cans were on the sales floor. The food safety certificate and food handler cards were lacking.

Las Tarascas Bakery, 3505 Central Ave. in Ceres, had for violations on Dec. 18 — three of them major. The hot water at the three-compartment sink was shut off. The warm water at the handwashing sink in the bathroom was at 59 degrees (must be a minimum of 100 degrees). A soap dispenser was lacking at the handwashing sink behind the front counter. One cockroach was observed crawling around the three-compartment sink.

APS Market, 3505 Central Ave., Suite 1, in Ceres, had two major violations on Dec. 18. Paper towel dispensers were lacking at all handwashing sinks. Hot water was lacking throughout the facility. Water was noted at 60 degrees at all fixtures.

Due to the lack of hot water, all drink machines and the ice machine were ordered to be taken offline until the department could verify hot water was restored to the facility.

The Biscuit Basket, 501 Bangs Ave., Suite E & F, in Modesto, had four violations on Dec. 18 — two of them major. In the walk-in cooler, hollandaise sauce had internal temperatures of 46 and 50 degrees. Gravy had internal temperatures of 44 and 46 degrees. The ambient air temperature of the walk-in cooler was 50 degrees, but cooled to 38 degrees over the course of about 45 minutes. In another refrigerator, hamburger had an internal temperature of 46 to 49 degrees. Pork had an internal temperature of 43 degrees. Bell peppers had an internal temperature of 44 degrees. A bucket containing ice that was below counter level lacked a lid. Three employees’ food handler cards were expired.

One violation remained during a reinspection on Dec. 19.

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

Minor violations

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

No violations

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

Facility closed upon inspection

The following food facilities were not open at the time inspectors attempted an unannounced visit (this may happen when posted business hours are no longer accurate or a facility has not notified the department it is no longer in business):

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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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