Health inspector report finds Hooters continued operating despite failed inspection and roach infestation

Aug. 16—Hooters on San Mateo failed another health inspection after trying to hide the environmental health department's closure order. The restaurant was ordered to close temporarily for a roach infestation on Aug. 4, but a follow-up inspection on Aug. 7 found that the person in charge propped the restaurant's doors open to hide the closure stickers and continued operating. There was still evidence of an ongoing roach infestation during that inspection. When a health inspector came back on Aug. 8, the restaurant was still operating, despite not one but two closure letters. Hooters did pass another follow-up inspection on Aug. 11.

Two other restaurants were also in the red.

Church's Chicken on San Mateo is back in the green, as is Kid's Castle.

GREEN

The EvLutheran Good Sam Society (Manzano del Sol), 5201 Roma NE (Aug.11)

Albertsons, 11825 Lomas NE (Aug. 7)

Arroyo del Oso Golf Course, 7001 Osuna NE (Aug. 7)

Lowe's Super Save Grocery, 701 11th Street NW (Aug. 9)

Southwest Child Care, 2626 Texas NE (Aug. 7)

Amadeo's Pizza & Subs, 809 98th Street SW (Aug. 11)

El Patio Restaurant, 142 Harvard SE (Aug. 11)

Hooters, 4601 San Mateo NE (Aug. 11)

Kid's Castle, 12840 Lomas NE (Aug. 7)

Big 5 New Mexico, 1915 Juan Tabo NE (Aug. 11)

Barrett House, 10300 Constitution NE (Aug. 9)

Keva Juice, 11201 Menaul NE (Aug. 11)

Albertsons, 6200 Coors NW (Aug. 11)

Panda Express, 3601 Bosque Plaza NW (Aug. 7)

Media Arts Collaborative Charter, 4401 Central NE (Aug. 9)

A Love for Life, 7534 Bear Canyon NE (Aug. 8)

Los Cuates, 10051 Coors NW (Aug. 8)

Papa Murphy's, 2839 Carlisle NE (Aug. 7)

AFC Sushi at Lowe's Corner Market, 701 11th Street NW (Aug. 9)

McDonald's, 5700 McMahon NW (Aug. 10)

BeeHive Homes of Four Hills, 13450 Wenonah SE (Aug. 8)

A Love for Life, 4108 Alcazar NE (Aug. 8)

Childcare Sunflower Learning Center, 2912 Corona NW (Aug. 8)

Subway, 933 San Mateo NE (Aug. 9)

BeeHive Homes, 13450 Wenonah SE (Aug. 8)

Salt and Board, 115 Harvard SE (Aug. 8)

NAPPR Early Headstart, 801 Girard NE (Aug. 9)

Church's Chicken, 2937 San Mateo NE (Aug. 7)

Domino's, 2400 12th Street NW (Aug. 8)

Mama Zahira Foodies, 6320 Zuni SE (Aug. 8)

Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corporation, 11825 Lomas NE (Aug. 7)

MLand Food, 6320 Zuni SE (Aug. 7)

BeeHive Homes of Four Hills, 13450 Wenonah SE (Aug. 8)

Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 1410 Wyoming NE (Aug. 11)

DDS Discount, 11145 Menaul NE (Aug. 11)

Amnesia Dispensary, 2723 San Mateo NE (Aug. 7)

Maui Wowie Dispensary, 2130 San Mateo NE (Aug. 7)

Three Sisters Kitchen, 1701 Mountain NW (Aug. 9)

A Nice Dream, 2506 San Mateo (Aug. 7)

505 Bussin Taste Buds, 5701 Gibson SE (Aug. 11)

RED

El Patio Restaurant, 142 Harvard SE (Aug. 7)

Result: Not in compliance; passed follow-up inspection

Observed raw meats stored above salsas inside reach in refrigerator in back door area. Also observed raw meats stored next to and above produce items and cooked soup inside walk-in refrigerator. Observed multiple food items such as cooked ground beef, cooked chicken, cooked unidentified meat stored inside walk-in refrigerator uncovered and unprotected. Observed red chile buckets and bag of onions stored on the floor inside walk-in refrigerator.

Observed no quat sanitizer available at three-compartment sink. Observed quat sanitizer buckets in kitchen and patio testing below required 200 to 400 parts per million. Observed build up in ice machine. Alcohol swab was used to wipe the gasket on the inside of the machine and came back dirty.

Observed green chile sauce at 169 degrees cooling inside five-gallon buckets at room temperature on shelving next to back door with back door left open. Observed multiple potentially hazardous foods in walk-in refrigerator and reach-in refrigerator, such as cooked beans, chicken, ground beef, cooked red chile with no date marking.

Observed chemical spray bottles stored on dish machine poles underneath machine with no label or identification. Observed flour, sugar and other dry food ingredients stored in back of facility with no label or identification.

Observed pigeons outside in back area where food containers, paper towels and chemicals are stored in back of facility.

Observed employee wearing a bracelet while preparing food in the kitchen. Observed improper employee drink stored on prep table next to food and cutting boards. Observed single-use food containers stored on the floor outside in front of walk in refrigerator door. Observed cardboard stored inside kitchen above food contact surface and under mixer. Observed employee phone stored on cutting board and earbuds stored on clean towels inside kitchen. Also observed employee purses stored on shelving inside kitchen in front of cold holding make table above plastic saran wrap used to cover food.

Observed no hand washing signage at hand washing station.

Hooters, 4601 San Mateo NE (Aug. 7)

Result: Immediate closure; failed another follow up inspection on Aug. 8; passed follow up inspection on Aug. 11

Facility continues to operate after closure letter and permit suspension on Aug. 4 was provided to facility for the imminent health hazard of a roach infestation. Facility was re-inspected on Aug. 7 and had evidence of ongoing roach infestation. Person in charge propped open doors and ensured the area was covered on the backside to hide closure stickers on front doors. Person in charge failed to cease operations and failed to ensure that employees follow necessary procedures to properly prevent contamination and protect consumers from an imminent health hazard.

Observed gaps along the bottom of front and side doors leading to the outside. Person in charge propped open front doors to hide closure stickers, resulting in unprotected entrance into facility.

Observed live roaches within the kitchen along the prep kitchen/dish area wall with clean dish storage rack, inside the tubing of the storage rack and on the storage rack itself with the clean plates, utensils, and equipment in the dish area, on the wall behind make station cooler, and on the back side of the make station cooler and at the wall behind the ice machine. Recommended facility talk to landlord about treating the empty former restaurant building attached to Hooters to ensure that there is no pest activity next door which could come over into facility. Observed multiple dead roaches behind kitchen line reach in cooler on the south of the kitchen line.

Observed significant debris and grease build up on, inside and on gas lines throughout kitchen equipment, including flat tops, fryers, grill and ware washing machines. Observed debris and gray water build up underneath kitchen cooking line equipment. Observed soda concentrate syrup pooling on the ground behind the soda B.I.B. rack. Observed significant debris build up behind ice machine.

Observed throughout the facility heavily prevalent gaps and holes in areas such as, door frames in the prep area along the base at the prep area into dry storage, prep area into the changing room/locker room, electrical outlets with no cover attached in dish area, around plumbing lines in the dish area under dish machine and three compartment sink and the kitchen line, corner junctures of walls and pillars in the kitchen and prep areas. Gaps into the wall at corner juncture of service sink. FRP wall material unattached from the wall behind the ice machine. Gaps around gas lines into the wall at gas lines, behind the saute/flat top equipment. Observed coving tile throughout kitchen, prep area and storage rooms coming unsealed to the walls with gaps present. Observed flooring throughout kitchen, prep area, dish area, and storage rooms with cracked, missing tiles and with grout having missing/eroded away with pooling water and debris.

Roach infestation within the kitchen along the prep kitchen/dish area wall with clean dish storage rack, inside the tubing of the storage rack and on the storage rack itself in the dish area, on the wall behind make station cooler, and on the back side of the make station cooler. Person in charge was issued a notice of closure and suspension initially on Aug. 4 and was given five business days to cease roach infestation and to remedy the infestation such as by sealing any entry points, cleaning the facility to remove harborage, and performing pest control actions such as closing other entry points, chemical treatment. Facility continued to operate. Facility was re-inspected on Aug. 7, finding continued evidence of live roach activity in the facility.

Hooters (Aug. 8)

Result: Not in compliance

Facility continues to operate after closure letter and permit suspension on Aug. 4 was provided to facility for the imminent health hazard of a roach infestation. Facility was re-inspected on Aug. 7 and had evidence of ongoing roach infestation. Facility continued to operate after second closure letter provided. Re-inspection on Aug. 8, finds continued evidence of ongoing roach infestation. Person in charge failed to cease operations and failed to ensure that employees follow necessary procedures to properly prevent contamination and protect consumers from an imminent health hazard.

Facility contacted landlord of building and had the vacant facility treated with a "bug bomb". Instructed person in charge to focus on sealing gaps and holes present on adjoining wall of the two halves of the building to prevent entry points of roaches into facility from the other half. Instructed person in charge to thoroughly clean and sanitize food contact surfaces that may have been contaminated from chemicals from the bug bombing.

At the time of second re-inspection roach infestation was observed within the kitchen along the wall behind the ware washing machine, and on the machine itself and the electrical/plumbing tubing behind ware washing machine, on the wall behind make station cooler with garnishes, and sandwich/burger makings, where plates/metal serving dishes for wings are stored, and on the make station cooler, underneath the three compartment sink, in the dining room, at the wall behind and along the tubing of the ice machine, in the ceiling along the wall between the two different halves of the building, at the dry goods storage area, when ceiling tile above ice machine was removed.

El Canpesino, 1725 Broadway SE (Aug. 7)

Result: Immediate closure

Observed cold holding unit at 71 degrees. Observed no probe thermometer available. Observed no hand washing signage available at hand washing station.

These are summaries of Albuquerque Environmental Health restaurant inspections.

For questions or concerns, please contact business reporter Matthew Narvaiz at mnarvaiz@abqjournal.com.