Health inspectors cite 4 restaurants in Merced County with lowest score. Here’s the list
Three of the five Merced County restaurants and food businesses that received poor grades for food-safety violations in December stepped up their game in January, improving their ratings following re-inspection visits from the county’s Environmental Health Division.
Of 33 food places across the county that had inspections last month, four received the lowest possible rating, “unsatisfactory,” based on the number of violations discovered by inspectors. Two repeat offenders from December were Mr. Taco and the La Quinta Inn, both on West Pacheco Boulevard in Los Banos, each received unsatisfactory grades for the second consecutive month.
Merced County’s ratings are based on how many violation points a business gets in an inspection visit. Businesses that accumulate 14 or more points receive the “unsatisfactory” rating. A “satisfactory” rating is given to businesses that receive seven to 13 violation points, while businesses that score fewer than six violation points receive a “good” rating.
The Mr. Taco restaurant at 850 W. Pacheco Blvd. scored 14 points in its Jan. 26 inspection visit – an improvement from its Dec. 8 score of 28 points and from its Jan. 3 score of 18 points. Among the problems cited during its latest inspection were improper storage of food-preparation utensils on a shelf above a steam table rather than on a sanitized surface; leaving food ingredients uncovered and exposed after food preparation; and employees failing to wash their hands after handling payments before returning to food preparation.
At the La Quinta Inn at 20 W. Pacheco Blvd. in Los Banos, a Jan. 26 inspection reported 21 violation points – a one-point improvement from December, but still “unsatisfactory.” The motel offers a continental breakfast for its patrons. The most serious violation noted was having no staff on duty with proper training in washing and sanitizing dishes, utensils and cookware. Additionally, water at a three-compartment sink and at a mop sink failed to reach a minimum temperature of 120 degrees – a repeat violation from a Dec. 18 inspection.
Two additional restaurants receiving “unsatisfactory” ratings for which re-inspection visits are required were the Cardenas Market on West Main Street in Merced and D Pho Inc. on East Pacheco Boulevard in Los Banos.
The two most serious violations from a Jan. 24 inspection at Cardenas Market included not keeping potentially hazardous foods such as sausage, cheese and yogurt in a display case cold enough to inhibit bacterial growth; and out-of-order public restrooms for on-site diners. The inspection report notes that on-site dining has been suspended until the restrooms are back in working order. The concerns added up to 18 violation points.
The D Pho restaurant in Los Banos racked up 24 violation points during its Jan. 26 inspection visit, including for failing to have a proper means of sanitizing dishes, utensils and cookware; storage of clean equipment and utensils on the floor; and storing food at improper temperatures.
Seven other restaurants in Merced County received “satisfactory” marks from their January inspections, while 22 received “good” ratings – including 10 that had no violation points from their inspections.
Merced County’s Environmental Health Division maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections online for public viewing at its web page, www.countyofmerced.com/597/Environmental-Health; click the “Food Inspections” tab along the left side of the page.
