What was found in latest SLO County restaurant inspections? Cockroaches, mouse droppings

Kaytlyn Leslie
·8 min read

One local high school concession stand had cockroaches, a restaurant had mice droppings and several businesses had problems with employees washing their hands incorrectly.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in October during dozens of surprise visits to eating and drinking establishments.

Many food and beverage sellers passed with flying colors, while others needed to make serious improvements.

Every month, The Tribune prints the lowest- and highest-ranked eateries to give diners more information about the places where they buy food and drinks.

Inspectors visit restaurants, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, mini-marts and more on a monthly basis. They score eateries on a 100-point scale and make deductions based on the severity of the violations they find.

To check out the safety and cleanliness of your favorite restaurants around the county, visit www.EatSafeSLO.org and use the interactive map to view full inspection reports.

Here are the highs and lows of the 162 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in October.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Pismo Food Store, 501 Price St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 15.5

Notes: The Pismo Food Store lost a number of points during its routine inspection in October, largely centered around employees washing their hands. According to inspection notes, employees were not washing their hands with warm water. The inspector noted that the hand-washing sink had a water heater attached to it, but employees kept it unplugged. Workers were also using bar soap rather than liquid soap to wash their hands. An additional sink in the back room had a broken water heater, the inspector said, meaning it had no hot water as well.

Bamboo Bamboo Chinese Restaurant, 1049 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 15.5

Notes: During its October inspection, the San Luis Obispo restaurant lost points for a number of violations. Those included no paper towels at the hand wash sink, and no cold water coming out of the sink’s faucet. An inspector also observed dishes being kept in a hand wash sink at the kitchen prep line and fryer baskets placed in a mop sink. According to inspection notes, the restaurant was additionally dinged for having a too-warm refrigerator, grime and build up in the ice chute and some flies in the facility.

LOL Yogurt, 721 12th St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 15

Notes: The Paso Robles yogurt shop lost a number of points during its routine October inspection, including several violations related to things being on the floor. According to the inspection notes, an inspector observed soft serve being thawed on sheet pans on the floor, and a box of almond milk and powdered soft serve being kept on the ground. Other violations included employees not properly washing their hands with soap and warm water; no soap or paper towels being kept at the hand washing sink, which was partially blocked by a prep table, and no sanitizer solution being used to disinfect food contact surfaces. The yogurt shop was told to ensure all staff have up-to-date food handler cards.

7-Eleven Inc., Store No. 16780E, 390 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 14.5

Notes: The Grover Beach 7-Eleven lost points during its October inspection largely for some repeat violations. Those included a mold-like substance in the ice chute of the soda machine, no paper towels being available at the main hand wash sink and the inspector being unable to locate or verify worker food safety certifications. The inspector also observed the employee restroom’s door being propped open. The business was told to keep the door closed and ensure it is equipped with a self-closing mechanism.

Corona’s Mexican Restaurant, 1263 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 13

Notes: Corona’s Mexican Restaurant in Arroyo Grande lost 13 points during its inspection in October, mostly due to repeat violation. “Facility has made no effort to correct violations from previous inspection report,” an inspector wrote in the inspection notes. Because of those repeat violations, the restaurant was slated to be reinspected — at which point it would need to have either fixed the issues or face a potential fee. Some of the violations observed in October included a broken soap dispenser at the hand wash sink, multiple flies throughout the facility and no food handler or food manager certifications available on site. The inspector also observed multiple buckets of rice and salsa in the fridge without lids or covers; open bags of beans and sugar being kept near chemicals and a bucket of water in a walk-in refrigerator catching water droplets from a fan.

Nipomo High Booster Club Concessions, 525 N. Thompson Ave., Nipomo

Points lost: 12.5

Notes: Inspectors look over food-serving establishments that are not typical restaurants — such as the concession stand at Nipomo High School’s football stadium. During the October inspection, cockroaches were found in the concession stand’s dry storage room. Some of the bugs were deceased, though others were alive. According to inspection notes, facility maintenance was expected to address the issue later in the day. The inspector also observed build up and grim in the ice chute — a repeat violation, according to inspection notes.

Gus’s Grocery, 1638 Osos St., San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 11.5

Notes: Gus’s Grocery was one of several local businesses ordered to be reinspected in October due to health violations found. According to inspection notes, mice droppings were found in the dry storage area. The business was ordered to eliminate rodents and evidence of rodents from the facility “by safe, legal and effective means at once.” The inspector also observed food debris build up on the shelves of the fridge and freezer units, heavy grease accumulation on walls in the food prep area and a broken pipe under the sink in the kitchen area. “Facility in need of deep cleaning,” the inspector wrote in the notes. “Excessive food debris was observed on the floors and grease on walls throughout the facility. Need to clean and sanitize floors and walls of the kitchen and serving area. Implement a routine cleaning schedule to prevent the buildup of grease and food debris.”

Kreuzberg, CA, 1685 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 11

Notes: The San Luis Obispo coffee shop lost 11 points during its October inspection and was ordered to be reinspected because of its violations. According to the inspection notes, the shop’s dish machine was not dispensing any sanitizer at the time of the inspection and there was no warm water at the hand sink behind the coffee bar. The coffee shop was also packaging food using reduced-oxygen packaging, but did not have a state-approved plan to do so. It was ordered to stop doing so immediately until it could get an approved plan. The inspector also observed several flies throughout the facility, and told employees to stop propping the front and back doors open to prevent the entrance of vermin.

These businesses also lost 10 or more points due to violations.

  • Mersea’s, 3985 Avila Beach Drive, Avila Beach

  • Umi Sushi Pacifica CA Inc., 1319 Grand Ave., Grover Beach

  • Hy Brothers Sushi, Inc., 539 W. Tefft St., Nipomo

  • Tortilla Town, 1145 24th St., Paso Robles

  • Santa Cruz Express, 1308 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores of 99 to 100, with few to no violations.

San Luis Obispo

  • Ace Sushi at Vons No. 2306, 3900 Broad St.

  • Antonia’s Pizza, 891 Higuera St.

  • Budget Cafe, 3121 Higuera St.

  • Buona Tavola SLO, Inc., 1037 Monterey St.

  • Courtyard by Marriott, 1605 Calle Joaquin

  • Quality Suites, 1631 Monterey St.

  • Rite Aid No. 5820, 1251 Johnson Ave.

  • Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop, 699 Higuera St.

  • Sequoia Sandwich Company, 893 Higuera St.

  • Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Kitchen, 1010 Murray Street

  • SLO A La Mode Ice Cream, 860 Higuera St.

  • SLO Delicious, 1129 Garden St.

  • Starbucks Coffee No. 620, 885 Higuera St.

  • Sushi Kokku, 285 Madonna Road (change of ownership inspection)

  • Taqueria El Guero, 1122 Chorro St.

  • The Village at the Oaks, 61 Broad St.

  • Vons No. 2306, 3900 Broad St.

  • Williams-Sonoma No. 6213, 864 Monterey St.

  • Woodstock’s Pizza Parlor, 1000 Higuera St.

North Coast

  • El Morro Express, 940 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay

  • Mijit Mart, 1700 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

  • Olallieberry Inn, 2476 Main St., Cambria

  • Seaside Foods LLC, 442 SLO San Simeon Road, San Simeon

South County

  • Arroyo Grande High School, 495 Valley Road, Arroyo Grande

  • Garcia’s Produce, 1860 Highway 1, Oceano

  • Grover Beach Elementary School, 365 S. 10th St., Grover Beach

  • Inn at the Cove, 2651 Price St., Pismo Beach

  • Kennedy Club Fitness, 1299 James Way, Arroyo Grande

  • Lopez Continuation High School, 1055 Highway 1, Arroyo Grande

  • Lucia Mar School District Warehouse, 602 Orchard St., Arroyo Grande

  • Mesa Middle School, 2555 Halcyon Road, Arroyo Grande

  • Nipomo High School, 525 N. Thompson Road, Nipomo

  • Oceano Community Center, Inc., 1425 19th St., Oceano

  • Okui Strawberry N Fruit Stand, 1234 Highland Way, Grover Beach

  • Price Street Market, 1100 Price St., Pismo Beach

  • Taco Bell No. 21177, 535 Tefft St., Nipomo

North County

  • Basil Restaurant, 828 11th St., Paso Robles

  • Cali Paso, 4230 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles

  • The Canyon Villa, 1455 Kiler Canyon Road, Paso Robles

  • Creekside Inn of Paso Robles, 5325 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles

  • Hubba Wines, 2929 Limestone Way, Paso Robles

  • Kiler Ridge, 1111 Kiler Canyon Road, Paso Robles

  • Le Vigne Winery, 5115 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles

  • Oso Libre Winery, 7383 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles

  • Pappy McGregor’s Pub, 1122 Pine St., Paso Robles

  • Paso Terra, 1032 Pine St., Paso Robles

  • Pasolivo, 8530 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles

  • See’s Candies, 2307 Theatre Drive, Paso Robles

  • Six Test Kitchen, 3075 Blue Road Road, Paso Robles

  • Society Cuisine LLC DBA Trumpet Vine Catering, 825 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles

  • Venteux Vineyards, 1795 Las Tablas Road, Templeton

  • Windward Vineyard, 1380 Live Oak Road, Paso Robles