Cockroaches, flies and chunky slime: See latest Sacramento County restaurant inspections
Sacramento County health inspectors found old food debris, dust, grease and pizzas “unfit for human consumption” at a local Little Caesars location.
Inspectors cited the pizza restaurant and two other local eateries for health code violations ranging from cockroaches and flies to a leaky sink and chunky slime.
A yellow placard signals two or more major violations, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide. These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection.
A red placard 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 the inspection.
The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee. About 1% of inspections result in a closure.
Here are the Sacramento County food facility inspections for July 11 through Wednesday, as of noon Thursday:
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Sacramento Bee reporter Brianna Taylor at btaylor@sacbee.com. The Bee will publish weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.
Little Caesars in Sacramento, other restaurants cited for health violations
The following Sacramento County restaurants had violations the week of July 11 through July 17, resulting in a conditional pass.
Only the dates of violations are listed. Most restaurants fully pass reinspection within 72 hours. The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, you can search the EMD website here.
Thai Canteen, 1501 Sixth St., Suite 109, in Sacramento, had 17 violations on July 11.
Sacramento County health inspectors found “potentially hazardous foods” on July 11.
Beef stew, boiled wontons, cooked eggs, rice noodles, tofu and eggroll wraps were stored outside proper holding temperatures at the Thai restaurant, the report said, and rice noodles were being improperly cooled on a milk crate.
Cooked eggs, eggplant, raw chicken wings and pork rinds were not protected from contamination at the time of the inspection.
Boxes of raw meat were on the floor inside the walk-in refrigerator, while a pot of peeled potatoes was on the floor next to the walk-in.
The restaurant was using improper sanitizer inside the kitchen and bar dishwasher machine.
Inspectors found a total of four flies in the rear of the kitchen, black residue inside the ice machine and old food debris on the floor under all cooking equipment.
Restaurant staff didn’t know about washing dishes and utensils in a three-compartment sink, according to the report.
There was no manager food safety certificate, one California Food Handler card was expired and the restaurant’s posted health permit was not current.
Meanwhile, the thermometer for the two-door refrigerator was inaccurate or broken.
The restaurant was reinspected on July 12 and received another yellow placard. As of noon Thursday, the restaurant had not been inspected another time.
JJ Fish & Chicken, 3916 Fruitridge Road, in Sacramento, had 19 violations on Monday.
Sacramento County health inspectors found a total of four cockroaches and approximately six flies on Monday, according to the report.
They discovered the bugs in the kitchen, the drain of a three-compartment sink and coolers, as well as on the restroom floor near the toilet.
There was a quarter-inch gap under the restaurant’s back door.
At the start of the inspection, the restaurant’s hot water was roughly 24 degrees below the acceptable threshold.
Sacramento County inspectors found a dirty blender with “mold-like accumulation” on it and a white cutting board with “deep, black stained cuts,” the report said.
Food scoopers, a table-mounted can opener, a warewash sink and food storage containers were also dirty.
The restaurant’s floor was cluttered with old food, trash, grease and utensils, and accumulation was on fryers, coolers, wall panels and ceilings.
The restaurant’s microwave had a “thick layer of old food debris splash,” the report said, and the floor sink was lined with “chunky slime” build up.
More buildup was found under the soap dispenser, on an aluminum container and on a utensils cart.
There was a strong smell coming from the indoor grease trap below the warewash sink and the ice machine was broken.
Health inspectors also observed a leak below a multi-compartment sink, causing wastewater to dump on the floor.
There were no lids for food stored in the coolers and freezers, while the thermometer at the cook’s line was broken and stored in a dirty cup.
Finally, the restaurant had four expired food handler cards.
As of noon Thursday, the restaurant had not been reinspected.
Little Caesars, 9416 Kiefer Blvd., in Sacramento, had seven violations on Wednesday.
Sacramento County health inspectors found pizzas “unfit for human consumption” on Wednesday.
They also discovered buildup of old food debris, dust and grease at several spots in the kitchen — including above the pizza cutting table, across from a sink and inside the walk-in refrigerator. More buildup was on the floor below the dough preparation table and pizza box storage rack.
There was no thermometer in the eatery’s pizza prep reach-in cooler, according to the report.
The hot water at the kitchen’s three-compartment hand sink was measured roughly 25 degrees below the acceptable threshold, according to the report.
A paper towel dispenser lever at one of the two kitchen hand sinks was not working properly.
According to the report, the restaurant was storing containers of flour without labels and using cracked plastic lids to cover food in the walk-in refrigerator.
As of noon Thursday, the pizza eatery had not been reinspected.
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