Seven businesses failed Merced County health inspections last month. See where and why
A lack of hot water, improper food-storage temperatures, buildups of grime and other unappetizing issues were among the kinds of violations that caused restaurants and other food businesses in Merced, Los Banos, southwestern Merced County to fail health inspections in July.
Inspectors for the county’s Environmental Health Division visited 40 restaurants, markets and other food businesses last month. Those that fell short in their July inspections were Yogolicious in Merced; Las Delicias Restaurant, Rincon Bohemio, Buy N Save Market and a 7-Eleven store in Los Banos; and the Firebaugh Travel Plaza on Interstate 5 southwest of Dos Palos.
A seventh restaurant, El Tlahualil in Merced, failed a July 1 inspection but passed in a reinspection later in the month.
The county gives “good” ratings to businesses with six or fewer violation points, “satisfactory” ratings for seven to 13 violation points, and “unsatisfactory” ratings for 14 or more violation points. Nine food businesses received satisfactory marks in July, and 23 received “good” scores — including nine where no violations were found.
Six businesses that had failed previous inspections with “unsatisfactory” ratings managed to bring their ratings up in follow-up visits during the month.
Summaries of the establishments that failed their inspections are:
- El Tlahualil on V Street in Merced: A July 1 inspection revealed violations including hot water at less than the required 120 degrees at the handwashing sink; two adult cockroaches, including a female with an egg sac, and one nymph; sewage backing up under a sink; improper cleansing of cups; and full trash cans with foul odors at the beginning of the business day. The restaurant accumulated 34 violation points in the visit and was ordered to close to correct problems and was allowed to reopen later the same day. The restaurant passed a follow-up inspection July 24 with 10 points and a “satisfactory” rating.
- Yogolicous on R Street in Merced: A July 15 inspection discovered repeat violations including a lack of paper towels in a dispenser at the handwashing sink and a lack of proof of a food-safety manager certificate for any current employee. Other violations included an insufficient concentration of sanitizer for cleaning utensils. The problems added up to 18 violation points.
- Las Delicias Restaurant on I Street in Los Banos: A July 15 inspection found violations including dishes stacked in the kitchen with the top dish touching the fire-suppression system, which had grease residue on it; no test strips to measure sanitizer concentrations; no soap or paper towels at handwashing sinks; packages blocking the kitchen handwash sink; staff seen preparing food without soap or paper towels available for handwashing; live cockroaches; and a broken and leaking prep refrigerator. The restaurant was ordered to close until soap and paper towels were available at all handwashing sinks.
- Rincon Bohemio on I Street in Los Banos: A July 22 inspection resulted in 28 violation points for problems including Improper sanitizer concentration for washing dishes; a three-compartment sink at the bar near the patio was blocked and unable to be used; chorizo being cooked outside on a plancha, which is outside the scope of the business’s permit; no proof of a food safety manager certificate for any current employee; and no soap or paper towels at a satellite unit.
- 7-Eleven No. 22736G on West Pacheco Boulevard in Los Banos: A July 22 inspection found violations adding up to 32 points for issues including warm food being stored below 135 degrees (boneless chicken wings that were below temperature for at least 30 minutes after cooking and buffalo chicken taquitos measured at 60 degrees); soft drink nozzles cleaned only three to four times a week instead of at least once daily; wash rags left out throughout the facility instead of being stored in sanitizer solution.
- Buy N Save Market on 7th Street in Los Banos: A July 23 inspection found violations including improper storage of hot food on a stovetop; cold horchata stored in ice instead of in a refrigerator; storage of potentially hazardous hot foods at temperatures below 135 degrees; a meat grinder blocking the handwashing sink; a large amount of grease on a damaged floor near a mop sink; flies and cockroaches and a gap in the doorway from outside into a storage area; and a water tap for mobile food vendors that was not protected from outside contamination. The problems added up to 23 violation points.
- Firebaugh Travel Plaza on Interstate 5 southwest of Dos Palos: A July 29 inspection found problems adding up to 14 violation points, including hot water that fell short of 120 degrees required for handwashing; paper towels kept out in the open instead of in dispensers at a food prep sink and at 3-compartment sinks; and a buildup of grime and dirt on floors and walls.
Merced County’s Environmental Health Division maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections online for public viewing at its web page, www.countyofmerced.com/597/Environmental-Health; click the “Food Inspections” tab along the left side of the page.
