Latest Merced County health inspections: Two spots are ‘unsatisfactory’
Two Merced County businesses evaluated by inspectors from the county Division of Environmental Health received an “unsatisfactory” grade during the latest round of inspections March 2-10.
Of the latest businesses to be evaluated, two received a rating of “good.”
What the ratings mean
Businesses that accumulate zero to six violation points during an inspection receive a “good” rating. A rating of “satisfactory” is given to businesses that accumulate seven to 13 points. Businesses that accumulate 14 points or greater receive an “unsatisfactory” rating.
Violations recorded by inspectors can range in severity from minor to major. Major violations are “very likely to get people sick” and must be corrected immediately or the business, or parts of the business, must close until the issue is corrected, according to the Division of Environmental Health. If a business fails an inspection, a reinspection is required at a later date.
The Division of Environmental Health said a minor violation is one “likely to get people sick but does not require the location to close.”
Details from ‘Unsatisfactory’ reports
Here is a look at the “unsatisfactory” reports from from March 2-10:
Royalty Burger, 1103 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced
Royalty Burger received an “unsatisfactory” rating (22 points) during an inspection March 2, 2026. Here are the violations as observed by the health inspector:
- Observed the lack of soap and paper towels. Provide soap and paper towels for proper handwashing to prevent cross contamination. Do not operate until written authorization is provided.
- Observed the lack of a dish sanitizer. Sanitizer must be provided to properly wash and sanitize dishes and utensils. Do not operate until written authorization is provided.
- Observed lack of test strips to measure the applicable manual sanitizer concentration. Obtain and use test strips to verify sanitizer is of sufficient strength to act as an appropriate manual sanitizing agent.
- Observed the lack of a hot-holding equipment for cooked foods. Provide equipment or clarify if food will be cooked to order only. If it is found later that equipment was added without prior approval, equipment will be required to be removed until it is determined to be in compliance with the California Health and Safety Code.
Applebee’s, 1734 W. Olive Ave., Merced
Applebee’s received an “unsatisfactory” rating (15 points) during an inspection March 10, 2026. Here are the violations as observed by the health inspector:
- Observed the temperature of the food in the north section of the cook line refrigerator measured above 50 degrees. Do not use this section of refrigerator until it is repaired. The use of ice was not sufficient to cool cheese (45-47 degrees) and was moved to a functioning refrigerator. All food above 50 degrees was discarded.
- Observed missing tiles were replaced with concrete. The aggregate in the concrete protrudes and does not provide a smooth and easily cleanable surface. Repair or replace with a finish material that is smooth and easily cleanable.
Businesses that received ‘Good’ ratings
- American Legion Post #83, 939 W. Main St., Merced
- Starbucks #9514, 145 E. Yosemite Ave., Merced
Next steps for Merced businesses
According to the Division of Environmental Health, some problems found by inspectors can be fixed at the time of the inspection. In other instances, violations an inspector deems more serious may result in the closure of the business at the time of the inspection.
The inspections represent a snapshot of the conditions that were observed by health inspectors at the time of their visit and may not indicate a pattern of either good or bad safety practices.
The Merced County Division of Environmental Health maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections, which can be found online at the Merced County Environmental Health website.
