More than 200 rodent droppings at Sacramento-area pizzeria, Chinese restaurant
Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local pizzeria and Chinese restaurant after finding more than 200 rodent dropping at each eatery.
Inspectors shut down three other restaurants due to cockroaches and other food safety violatins.
In addition, inspectors gave yellow placards to 15 local food-serving facilities for violations including “pink slime” and improperly thawing meat.
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide.
A red placard, however, signals “imminent danger to public health and safety” and suspends the health permit until violations are corrected. This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination.
In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed inspection.
The county performs about 14,000 inspections annually, with 97% of establishments passing, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
Approximately 1% of inspections result in a closure, he said.
The Bee publishes weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.
There were the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Sept. 25, through Wednesday, Oct. 1, as of Thursday afternoon.
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
Elk Grove Thai restaurant closed for cockroaches
Rao Thai Eatery, 5650 Whitelock Parkway, Suite 110, in Elk Grove, had one violation on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down the Elk Grove Thai restaurant after finding 10 live cockroaches in various life cycles throughout the facility, including behind the white chest freezer and fire extinguisher and below the storage table.
Roa Thai Eatery was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to Rao Thai Eatery for comment on Thursday, Oct. 2, but the restaurant’s phone number was out of service.
Local pizzeria had more than 270 rodent droppings
Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, 2475 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 100, in Elk Grove, had eight violations on Monday, Sept. 29.
Inspectors shut down the Elk Grove pizzeria after discovering a total of 274 rodent droppings throughout the restaurant, including on the top lid of a pasta container, on top of boxes in the soda station and on the preparation shelf at the pizza making line.
Cooked pasta, ham, shredded cheese, feta cheese and garlic puree were outside of proper holding temperatures.
Health inspectors saw an employee’s open beverage stored above the pizza makeline.
The facility’s ice deflector and top ceiling panel inside the ice machine had “black, mold-like, slime residue,” according to the Sept. 29 report.
Several areas were in need of “deep cleaning and regular maintenance” due to mold, dust and old food debris, including a wall, fan guards, the floor below the storage rack and inside the walk-in refrigerator.
The restaurant had no quaternary ammonia test strips available at the time of inspection.
The reach-in refrigerator measured too warm to be considered safe, and was in need of repairs.
There was insufficient lightning in the walk-in refrigerator.
Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse was reinspected on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and received an additional red placard after inspectors found 25 rodent droppings.
The restaurant was inspected another time the same day and passed with a green placard.
The Bee reached out to Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse for comment on Thursday, Oct. 2, but the restaurant didn’t have a manager on site.
Mice, rat droppings found at Chinese restaurant in Sacramento
Spicy Temptation Chinese Restaurant, 9555 Folsom Blvd., Suite D, in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Monday, Sept. 29.
Health inspectors shut down the Sacramento Chinese restaurant after discovering 219 mice and rat droppings throughout the restaurant.
That included about 200 mice droppings under and behind the check freezer in the dry storage.
The restaurant had pooled eggs outside of the temperature range considered safe.
The restaurant’s chopping board was stored on a rack with “grease and dust,” the Sept. 29 report said, and the meat slicer had old food debris.
The facility had no food safety certificate.
In addition, California food handler cards were not available at the time of inspection, a repeat violation.
Spicy Temptation Chinese was reinspected on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and received a green placard.
The Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment on Thursday, Oct. 2, but there wasn’t a manager on site.
Sacramento Vietnamese restaurant shut down for roaches
Pho Bac Hoa Viet, 3110 Bradshaw Road in Sacramento, had nine violations on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Health inspectors shut down Sacramento Vietnamese restaurant due to food safety violations including German cockroach activity.
Inspectors discovered two nymph German cockroaches on the floor beneath the two-door refrigerator and more within the wall of the facility.
Oysters, pork and bean sprouts were outside of proper holding temperatures.
Inspectors saw “old food debris” on a pair of tongs as well as knives on the magnet near the warewashing station, the Sept. 30 report said.
A box of veggies was on raw pork in the walk-in freezer. Additionally, there were several uncovered foods in the walk-in cooler and freezer.
Health inspectors observed food debris between the gasket of the reach-in cooler, on a rack and on the floor of the walk-in freezer.
The gasket of the two-door cooler was in disrepair.
Health inspectors found “deteriorating grouts” on the floor in the main kitchen with old food debris, according to the report.
Pho Bac Hoa Viet was reinspected on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and passed with a green placard.
The Bee reached out to the restaurant on Thursday, Oct. 2, but the phone number was out of service.
Southeast Asian restaurant shut down for cockroach activity
Sunshine Kitchen, 557 Eleanor Ave. in Sacramento, had 14 violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Health inspectors closed the Southeast Asian restaurant after spotting several live adult and juvenile German cockroaches in areas including under sinks.
The restaurant didn’t have soap at both front restrooms.
An employee was observed washing a large stock pot and skipping the sanitation step.
The facility was missing a food manager’s certificate, as well as food handler’s cards for each employee.
A spoon was found in the food ingredient container.
Health inspectors found a can of Raid in the restaurant.
Sunshine Kitchen was reinspected on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and passed with a green placard.
The Bee reached out to Sunshine Kitchen on Thursday, Oct. 2, but the manager on site had no comment.
Sacramento liquor store cited for roaches, frog in sink
World Wine & Liquor, 5301 Fruitridge Road in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Sacramento County health inspectors gave the Sacramento liquor store a yellow placard after discovering a frog in a sink and cockroaches in various spots.
Inspectors spotted two live German cockroach nymphs at a storage cabinet above a two-compartment sink and a live adult roach on the floor near the ice machine. They found two dead cockroaches at the drain line of the walk-in cooler.
The ice scoop was stored on top of the ice machine, where inspectors saw a German cockroach.
Inspectors also noticed “pooling stagnant water” around the ice machine from a backed-up floor drain, the Sept. 25 report said, noting that no food had been contaminated by the water.
There was “excessive pink organic buildup” along a deflector plate.
Milk in the walk-in cooler measured outside the temperature range considered safe, and the door of the walk-in cooler did not close properly.
The restroom lacked both lighting and paper towels.
The store’s health permit had expired.
World Wine & Liquor was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
Hermanos Jalisco Grill, 1880 Prairie City Road, Suite 110, in Folsom, had eight violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Health inspectors gave the restaurant a yellow placard after observing an employee handle raw meat and then touch tortillas.
No paper towels were available at the handsink.
A container of chicken and beef was being improperly cooled.
Inspectors observed dried food debris on a can opener blade.
Several bulk food containers lacked lids.
The restaurant’s probe thermometer was not working.
The kitchen handsink drained into the mop sink.
Hermanos Jalisco Grill was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
Sacramento chicken restaurant, Wendy’s cited for food safety violations
Kiki’s Chicken Place, 4314 Marconi Ave. in Sacramento, had seven violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Inspectors cited the chicken restaurant due to a lack of soap and paper towels inside the employee restroom, a repeat violation.
A basket of fried chicken was outside of the temperature range considered safe.
There was “mold-like residue” on the fan guards inside the walk-in cooler, the Sept. 25 report said, and the door to the walk-in freezer did not close properly.
The shatter-proof cover above the warewashing area was loose.
There was a water leak at the prep sink faucet.
Inspectors observed a gap around the facility’s pipes beneath the three-compartment sink.
Kiki’s Chicken Place was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
Wendy’s, 2630 Arena Blvd. in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Inspectors gave the fast food restaurant a yellow placard after observing an employee handle raw beef with gloves before going to the equipment area to grab and fill a pitcher without removing gloves and washing hands.
The facility’s beef chili and cheese sauce were not reheated properly.
The facility’s person-in-charge did not demonstrate knowledge of the different test strips used for different sanitizers.
A carton tray of shell eggs in the meat cold top was measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
The upper ceiling panel of the ice machine had “pink residue,” according to the Sept. 25 report.
Wendy’s was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and received a green placard.
Jack’s Urban Eats, 545 Munroe St. in Sacramento, had 14 health food violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
The restaurant received a yellow placard due to large boxes blocking the two handwash sinks.
Three sealed frozen whole turkeys, corned beef and cut tomatoes were outside of proper holding temperatures, and three containers of cooked macaroni pasta were being improperly cooled.
The water at the warewash sink didn’t get hot enough to be considered safe.
Three large, sealed frozen turkeys were being improperly thawed in the three-compartment sink.
Fries, chicken, cut tomatoes and pickles were stored without covers. This was a repeat violation.
The facility’s plastic cup lids were stored with the bottom side facing customers.
Jack’s Urban Eats was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
KFC in Sacramento had old food debris, grease
KFC, 7821 Alta Valley Drive in Sacramento, had nine violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Health inspectors gave the fast food restaurant a yellow placard after discovering that its restrooms were entirely out of toilet paper.
The cook did not have proper knowledge of the final cooking temperature of chicken.
The facility did not have California food handler cards available for review.
Inspectors found old food debris, residue and grease buildup on the floor below the fryer, on the floor in the office and below the soda fountain at the drive-thru.
The reach-in cooler was missing a fan guard.
A large opening was observed in the ventilation hood due to a misplaced filter.
Health inspectors observed “deteriorated grout” between the floor tires below the soda fountain at the drive-thru. This was a second repeat violation.
KFC was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and received a green placard.
Hilton hotel, gas station cited by health inspectors
Hilton Sacramento Arden West, 2200 Harvard St. in Sacramento, had two violations on Thursday, Sept. 25.
The hotel received a yellow placard after par-cooked chicken, fish, shrimp, tilapia, heavy cream and sausage measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
The ambient temperatures of the walk-in cooler and both two-door upright refrigerators were too warm to be considered safe.
Hilton Sacramento Arden West was reinspected on Friday, Sept. 26, and passed with a green placard.
Short Stop Food & Liquor, 9545 Folsom Blvd., Suite 4, in Sacramento, had four violations on Friday, Sept. 26.
Health inspectors cited the liquor store after observing a lack of paper towels and hand soap at the handwashing station.
There was a live nymph German cockroach inside the handwashing sink, and several dead German and Turkestan cockroaches were found under the handwashing station.
The drain sink near the handwashing station had “black debris,” according to the Sept. 26 report.
All three chest freezers had heavy ice buildup.
Short Stop Food & Liquor was reinspected on Monday, Sept. 29, with another inspection on Sept. 30, and received yellow placards both times for repeated violations.
Gai N Rice, 2475 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 150 in Elk Grove, had seven violations on Monday, Sept. 29.
The Thai restaurant received a yellow placard after ground chicken measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
Hard-boiled eggs were improperly cooling on top of the cold top.
Health inspectors observed an employee washing a rice paddle without sanitizing.
The metal racks, fan guards and storage rack inside the walk-in cooler had “medium-to-heavy mold, old food debris, residue accumulation,” the Sept. 29 report said.
The facility had insufficient lighting in the walk-in refrigerator.
The restaurant’s lids at the garbage dumpsters and tallow bin were open at the time of inspection.
The Thai restaurant’s health permit had expired.
Gai N Rice was reinspected on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and passed with a green placard.
Shahmaran Cafe, 8887 Folsom Blvd, Suite 8, in Sacramento had 14 violations on Monday, Sept. 29.
Inspectors gave the Sacramento coffee shop a yellow placard after watching an employee skip the sanitizer step when washing a tray of cups and forks.
There were no paper towels available at the handwashing sink in the kitchen, and it didn’t have a paper towel dispenser. Meanwhile, the front handwash sink was partially blocked by a trash bin.
Turkey sandwiches, cheesecakes and other foods inside the back two-door upright refrigerator were from unapproved vendors.
The walk-in cooler measured too warm to be considered safe.
There was “black slime accumulation” inside the floor sink beneath the espresso machine, the Sept. 29 report said.
To-go containers by the office were stored with the food contact sides facing up, as were spoons and forks inside the utensils holder by the front prep line.
There was an open bulk bag of crepe mix beneath the back prep table, and a bulk bucket for sugar under the table lacked a label.
The front door was not closing all the way, leaving a gap of 2 to 4 inches.
The restaurant didn’t have a food manager certificate, and none of the employees had food handler cards.
Shahmaran Cafe passed reinspection on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Kaidao Thai Street Food, 9679 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento, had eight violations on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Health inspectors gave the Thai restaurant a yellow placard due to a lack of paper towels by the kitchen hand sink. This was a repeat violation.
Cooked noodles were stored out of proper holding temperature.
The facility’s food handler cards were not available for review.
An employee’s cup of coffee was on the prep table, a repeat violation.
All the racks inside the freezer had raw foods stored together with ready-to-eat foods and vegetables.
A container of groundnuts lacked a label.
Several areas in the restaurant have old food debris, dust and dirt, including areas under the glass refrigerator, the table, the three-compartment sink, washer machine and handwashing sinks.
A non-working two-door cooler was being used to store non-food items.
Kaidao Thai Street Food had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Oct. 2.
Los Gordos Mexican Grill, 4713 San Juan Ave. in Fair Oaks, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Health inspectors cited the Mexican restaurant in Fair Oaks after carnitas measured outside of the temperature range considered safe.
The facility was unable to provide food handler cards at the time of the inspection.
The restaurant’s meat slicer had accumulated “old meat residue,” according to the Oct. 1 report.
Food inside the prep refrigerator and the walk-in refrigerator lacked protective covers.
Health inspectors observed “grease and food buildup” on the cook’s line equipment, according to the report.
The plastic lining of the cook’s refrigerator was observed broken.
Los Gordos Mexican Grill had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Oct. 2.
Jack in the Box, 2750 Del Paso Road in Sacramento, had nine violations on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Health inspectors gave the fast food burger joint a yellow placard after failing to find paper towels inside the paper towel dispenser in the back kitchen hand sink.
The drive-thru soda machine nozzle had residue.
An open taco box was on the floor inside the walk-in freezer, and inspectors observed old food debris on the floor below the shelves inside the walk-in refrigerator.
There was one nonfunctional small reach-in refrigerator next to the griddle.
One box of single-use cups was stored on the floor in the dry storage area.
Lids at the exterior garbage Dumpsters were open at the time of inspection.
The facility’s posted health permit is not current.
Jack in the Box had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Oct. 2.
La Superior Mercados No. 2, 4940 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Sacramento County health inspectors gave the Sacramento grocery store a yellow placard after milk, flan and eggs measured outside of proper holding temperatures.
Inspectors found a dying German cockroach on a shelf below the self-service pastry display case, as well as multiple dead cockroaches behindthe cabinet door below the unit.
There were also two dead German cockroaches on a shelf in the kitchen side of the pastry display case near spilled candy and ingredients.
Staff lacked knowledge on required sanitizer concentration for warewashing
Inspectors spotted “standing water with white film” throughout the kitchen and in cracked tiles near the stand mixers, the Oct. 1 report said, noting the tile and grout in those areas were deteriorated or missing.
La Superior Mercados was reinspected on Thursday, Oct. 2, and passed with a green placard.
Taj Grill Indian Cuisine, 9500 Greenback Lane, Suite 33, in Folsom, had 12 violations on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Health inspectors gave a yellow placard to the Indian restaurant after failing to find soap at the handwash sink by the food prep area and restroom.
Cooked rice in the rice cooker was outside of proper holding temperatures.
The restaurant’s food safety certification was not available at time of inspection.
Food handler cards were not available for any of the food-handling employees on site.
Inspectors saw an employee handling dirty dishes with gloves and then handling food products without washing their hands and changing gloves in between.
The floor sinks beneath the food prep sink and at the front counter were clogged and filled with water.
Taj Grill Indian Cuisine had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Oct. 2.
