Latest Merced County health inspections: Sushi spot gets ‘unsatisfactory’ rating
One Merced County business evaluated during the latest round of inspections by the county Division of Environmental Health received an “unsatisfactory” grade.
Of the latest businesses to be evaluated from June 4-9, six received a rating of “good” and two received a rating of “satisfactory.”
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” report from June 4-9:
King’s Asian Cuisine Sushi & Cocktail Lounge, 360 W Main St., Merced
King’s Asian Cuisine Sushi & Cocktail Lounge received an “unsatisfactory” rating (20 points) during an inspection June 4. Here are the violations as observed by the health inspector:
- Observed the lack of soap and paper towels available at the hand-washing station. Keep hand wash station stocked. Observed the lack of a paper towel dispenser at the bar. Provide.
- Observed multiple foods left out at room temperature. Foods above 50 degrees were voluntarily discarded. Tuna, 53 degrees; roe, 59 degrees; shredded crab, 52 degrees; cucumbers, 56 degrees
- Observed the temperature of the reach-in refrigerator measured at 56 degrees. Keep ambient temperature of refrigerators at or below 41 degrees. Foods measuring below 51 degrees were moved to the walk-in refrigerator or the under-counter refrigerator. Repair reach-in refrigerator to provide an ambient temperature of 41 degrees or below before use.
- Observed the sushi rice measured at 111 degrees, had an acidity of 5.0, and did not have a time control. A control must be put in place if the required acidity of below 4.6pH is not met. Rice was voluntarily discarded. A time control was used.
- Observed the lack of hot water at the bar hand-washing station. Provide hot water.
Businesses that received ‘Good’ ratings
- M&M Corner Mini-Mart, 16490 Letteau Ave., Delhi
- Starbucks Coffee, 1640 Bell Lane, Atwater
- IHOP Restaurant, 1315 W. Pacheco Blvd., Los Banos
- New Bethany Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Community, 1441 Berkeley Drive, Los Banos
- Starbucks Coffee, 360 Mercey Springs Road, Los Banos
- Schelby School, 6738 N. Sultana Drive, Livingston
Businesses that received ‘Satisfactory’ ratings
- Los Dos Potrillos Bar & Grill, 1639 E. Pacheco Blvd., Los Banos
- Togo’s of Merced, 3146 N G St., Suite 107, 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.
