182 rodent droppings closed a Sacramento market. See what else inspectors found
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four local eateries including two gas station markets, a nursing home and market due to cockroaches, more than 180 rodent droppings and a lack of hot water.
Meanwhile, a total of 12 eateries received yellow placards for health code violations ranging from dead cockroaches and slime.
What do these inspections mean?
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Retail 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 and about 97% of establishments pass, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
Approximately 1% of inspections result in a closure, he said.
These were the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Jan. 15, through Wednesday, Jan. 21, as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
Businesses temporarily closed by health inspectors
Shell Mixx Market
3050 Zinfandel Drive, Suite #135794, Rancho Cordova
Number of violations: 3
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Sacramento County health inspectors gave a red placard to the gas station due to a lack of hot water in the facility.
- The gas station’s handwash station in the back lacked paper towels.
- The operator was not able to provide food handler cards at time of inspection.
Shell Mixx Market had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the market on Thursday, Jan. 22, but could not reach a representative of the business.
Whitney Oaks Care Center
3529 Walnut Ave., Carmichael
Number of violations: 4
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors gave a red placard to the nursing home after discovering German cockroach activity including five adult roaches on the wall beneath the kitchen prep table, an adult roach on the floor behind the cooking equipment and several dead roaches beneath the dish machine.
- The facility had water pooling and black residue on the floor beneath the metro shelf inside the dry storage room.
- The vents inside both restrooms were not functional.
- The facility had receded grout between the floor tiles next to the cove base by the dish machine.
Whitney Oaks Care Center had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the nursing home on Thursday, Jan. 22, but could not reach a representative of the business.
American Way Market
401 West El Camino Ave., Sacramento
Number of violations: 3
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors gave a red placard to the Gardenland American market after finding 182 rodent droppings in the kitchen including on the bottom shelf of the retail aisle, on the old butcher back wall cabinet shelves and in the personal kitchen cabinet.
- The facility’s newly added wood boards to seal deteriorated in-use walk-in floor boards were not sealed yet.
- Several spacings and gaps were potential vermin entrances including spacing and gaps between floor boards, a vertical air gap along double front doors and on the ceiling above the ice cream chest freezer in the retail aisle.
American Way Market had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
The Sacramento Bee reached out to the market on Thursday, Jan. 22, but could not reach a representative of the business.
Alibaba Halal Food Market
1547 Fulton Ave., Suite D-1, Sacramento
Number of violations: 18
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors gave a red placard to the Arden Arcade Halal food market due to cockroach activity. They found about 50 dead German nymph and adult cockroaches in unused pots, on the floors throughout the back kitchen and inside unused equipment.
- The facility had no toilet paper available inside the restroom.
- An Instant Pot of rice was outside of proper holding temperature.
- Employees lacked food safety knowledge in holding temperatures, proper sanitizing of food contact surfaces and proper ware washing.
- The facility had open employee drinks on the food prep counter.
- The kitchen’s hand sink had no soap dispenser for the hand soap.
- Health inspectors found the food preparation counters and shelves with heavy accumulation of old food debris.
- The maximum temperature of hot water at the restroom hand sink was below proper temperature.
- Health inspectors found a piece of raw beef stored overproduce inside the three door cooler.
Alibaba Halal Food Market had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
The owner of the business said they have consulted pest control and pest control reported that all the insects were dead, and no active vermin has been found in the store. The food market is a new business and had only been operating for a day before closure.
Flies, cockroaches and ‘brown residue’ found in Sacramento-eateries
Wyndham Garden Hotel
2298 Terracina Drive, Sacramento
Number of violations: 6
Date: Thursday, Jan. 15
- Sacramento County health inspectors gave a yellow placard to the hotel in Village 5 after finding no hand soap available for any of the hand sinks.
- Inspectors saw unapproved cooling methods for butter chicken sauce, four trays of marinated cooked chicken, one tray of rice and one tray of samosas.
- White and brown residue was found inside the soda gun nozzle.
- The facility had flies/gnats inside six bottles of liquor.
- The facility had food debris on the floor below all two-door upright freezers.
- The dishwasher machine and sanitizer bucket had no sanitizer test strips.
Wyndham Garden Hotel was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 16 and passed with a green placard.
Etihad Market and Restaurant
10145 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova
Number of violations: 21
Date: Thursday, Jan. 15
- Health inspectors cited the Afghan eatery after seeing staff fail to wash their hands before putting on gloves to handle an open container of bread for a customer.
- The kitchen’s handwash sink was completely inaccessible with multiple child car seats and miscellaneous household items stacked in front of it.
- A bag of frozen fries on the counter had an internal temperature below proper holding temperature.
- The facility lacked sanitizer at time of the inspection.
- The facility had three dead Turkestan cockroaches by the storage area.
- Staff lack knowledge of proper handwashing and ware washing procedures.
- The facility had yet to obtain a food manager certification. This was a repeat violation.
- The facility’s California food handler cards were not available for review.
- Two rotten potatoes and one rotten onion were found in the walk-in cooler.
- The meat slicer and meat grinder had food debris.
Etihad Market and Restaurant was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 16 and passed with a green placard.
Dragon Palace
2300 Northgate Blvd., Suite 100, Sacramento
Number of violations: 12
Date: Thursday, Jan. 15
- Health inspectors cited the Gardenland Chinese restaurant after finding egg rolls on top of the steam table were below proper temperature.
- Fried chicken and pork in covered and stacked bus tubs were improperly cooling.
- Per interview, employees did not demonstrate knowledge of verifying ware machine sanitizer as used on a daily basis.
- The facility’s food handler cards record was incomplete.
- An unapproved power drill was used as a batter mixer.
- Tongs were hung on the oven door handle.
Dragon Palace was reinspected on Friday, Jan. 16 and received an additional yellow placard due to improper holding and cooling of food. Dragon Palace was reinspected on Tuesday, Jan. 20 and passed with a green placard.
Bonfare Market
3100 Broadway, Sacramento
Number of violations: 6
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Health inspectors gave the North Oak Park market a yellow placard after finding no paper towels at the two compartment sink nor the bathroom sink.
- A buildup was observed on the “cream n’ sugar” station.
- The facility’s two-compartment sink and bathroom sink had a lack of hot water supply. Employees said they discovered the water heater was not working earlier that morning.
Bonfare Market had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
Tolo Afghan Market & Restaurant
2654 Marconi Ave., Suite 112, Sacramento
Number of violations: 16
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Health inspectors gave the Arden Arcade market a yellow placard after finding an employee touching raw beef, without washing hands.
- No paper towels were available at the handwashing sinks in the kitchen and ware washing area.
- An employee did not understand proper ware washing procedures.
- The facility had no certified food manager available. This was the facility’s third repeat violation.
- Cut tomato salad, chicken and beef patties were slightly above proper holding temperature inside the facility’s reach-in cooler.
- Eggs were stored over ready-to-eat foods in the kitchen.
- The facility had a dirty microwave at the rear of facility.
- There was an unapproved fly zapper near the food preparation table.
Tolo Afghan Market & Restaurant had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
Kindred Seoul
1215 O St., Sacramento
Number of violations: 7
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Health inspectors cited the downtown Korean restaurant after finding raw beef patties and cooked noodles above proper holding temperatures.
- The facility’s hand sink on the serving line lacked paper towels.
- The employee restroom lacked toilet paper.
- The facility lacked an employee with a California manager’s food safety certification.
- An employee beverage was seen without a lid inside the walk-in cooler.
- Raw chicken was stored over cabbage in the walk-in cooler.
- The facility’s piping under the three compartment sink was dripping.
Kindred Seoul was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 21 and received an additional yellow placard.
K Fusion Eats
5301 Power Inn Road, Sacramento
Number of violations: 16
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
- Health inspectors cited the Power Ridge Korean restaurant after finding sausages below proper holding temperatures.
- A bucket of chicken soup and a container of cooked chicken wings were observed cooling improperly.
- The owner’s food manager certificate was not available for review.
- Six employees’ food handler cards were not available for review.
- An employee drink was stored on top of the three compartment sink.
- An ice scoop handle was in contact with ice inside the ice machine.
- Hot water from the sensor faucet was measured below proper temperature.
- A bowl was used as a scoop for reaching sugar.
K Fusion eats was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 21 and passed with a green placard.
Pho Xe Lua
5331 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento
Number of violations: 19
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors cited the Fruitridge Manor Vietnamese restaurant after finding approximately 30 rodent droppings in the back storage area.
- The facility’s California food handler cards were not available for review.
- A water bottle with an unapproved screw-top lid was stored by the rice cooker.
- The faucet at the hand sink was sticky to the touch.
- The facility had black organic buildup in the ice machine’s deflector plate.
- The restaurant’s menu had no consumer advisory for undercooked, rare steak.
- At the start of inspection, there was no designated person in charge.
- Still frozen chicken was improperly thawing in containers.
- Multiple food containers throughout the facility lacked lids and covers.
Pho Xe Lua had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
La Terraza
1027 Second St., Sacramento
Number of violations: 14
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors cited the Old Sacramento Mexican eatery after finding two containers of beans and one container of rice held at improper holding temperatures.
- The facility’s food manager’s certificate and California food handler cards were not available for review.
- The ice machine had slime buildup inside.
- The water temperature for the hand sink was measured below proper hot water supply.
- An unlabeled chemical spray bottle was found under the handwashing sink.
- Dry food containers were missing labels.
La Terraza had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
Indian Supermarket
4421 Gateway Park Blvd., Suite 130, Sacramento
Number of violations: 7
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors cited the Indian supermarket in Village 5 after finding no paper towels in the paper towel dispenser by the back kitchen hand sink.
- One pot of potatoes and french beans were stored on a dry goods shelf, below proper holding temperature.
- One pot of potato stew and one pot of lentils were cooled with unapproved methods.
- The facility had two unapproved chairs with cloth cushions inside the food preparation area.
- The facility had no sanitizer bucket set up during inspection.
- Toilet papers were stored on top of the dispenser inside both the men’s and women’s restroom.
- Employee personal items were stored on the dry storage shelves
Indian Supermarket had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
Folsom Hotel Saloon
703 Sutter St., Folsom
Number of violations: 9
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors cited the hotel after finding pulled pork, cheese sauce and beans reheated to improper temperatures.
- The facility had no soap available for the handwashing station in the kitchen.
- The facility’s food safety manager certificate along with several records for food handler cards were not available.
- The kitchen dish machine had no measurable sanitizer.
- The water temperature at the bar dish machine was below proper hot water temperature.
- Dust and residue was found on the evaporator and interior surfaces of the walk-in.
- The restroom doors were not self-closing.
- The interior door between the basement and upper level was propped open.
Folsom Hotel Saloon had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
McDonald’s
5425 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento
Number of violations: 6
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
- Health inspectors cited the Fruitridge Manor fast food chain after finding the men’s restroom toilet out of order at the time of inspection.
- The facility’s hot water supply at the automated hand sinks was measured above proper hot water temperature.
- Ice buildup was found under the evaporator housing and on the fan guards.
- Takeout boxes were stored within 24 inches of the front hand sink, exposed to potential splash contamination.
- The mop sink was missing an anti-siphon device between the splitter and hose.
- The facility had a displaced floor tile under the drive-through’s soda machine.
McDonald’s had yet to be reinspected as of Thursday, Jan. 22.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
