Slimy sinks, cleaner stored near food: See latest Stanislaus County health inspections

Dominique Williams
·3 min read

A Modesto convenience store had a slimy sink, while a Patterson ice cream shop had cake packaging in the bathroom and a drive-thru coffee shop in Turlock stored a cleaning product next to food.

Those were some of the violations Stanislaus County health inspectors spotted at local food facilities in early February.

The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in Stanislaus County receive two routine unannounced food safety inspections per year, according to the department. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.

Of the 65 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, 12 were not updated on the site as of midday Thursday.

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com.

What was found during Stanislaus County health inspections?

The following Stanislaus County restaurants had violations the week of Feb. 4-11. Only the dates of violations are listed.

The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication.

The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website.

Baskin Robbins, 1055 Sperry Road, Suite B, in Patterson, had four violations during a routine inspection Feb. 5 — three of them major. Inspectors observed 18 bags of bulk lids for ice cream and two cases of bulk cake boxes stored inside the bathroom.

The hot water in three of the sinks was at a temperature that was too low, according to the California Health and Safety Code, and sanitizer buckets were not set up. The self-closing device for the bathroom door was not working.

Bonfire Market No. 43, 145 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Modesto, had three violations during a routine inspection Feb. 7 — two of them major. The drain pipes to the two-compartment sink and the soda fountain were found inside the floor sink. A minimum of a 1-inch air gap is required to prevent backflow. The floor sink to the soda fountain was soiled with slime buildup.

Dutch Bros, 1201 W. Monte Vista Ave. in Turlock, had three violations during a routine inspection Feb. 8. A Comet brand cleaner was observed directly next to a food jar on a rack above a sink. Dry cleaning rags were on food preparation counters and not in sanitizer buckets. Ice scoopers were placed directly on the ice bins instead of in a place protected from contamination.

During a reinspection on Feb. 16, only one violation had been corrected; the Comet cleaner was moved.

Walmart No. 1983, 3960 Mitchell Road in Ceres, had one major violation during an inspection conducted Feb. 8 after a complaint was filed. Inspectors observed that the ambient temperature in the heated deli case was 110 degrees. The temperature in this type of case must be 135 degrees or higher, according to health codes. The chicken was voluntarily discarded by staff. A work order was placed for the unit and it was no longer used.

During a reinspection on Feb. 13, the heated case was at the proper holding temperature.

Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections include:

Most Stanislaus County facilities had clean inspections

According to Stanislaus County, food facilities that had zero to two violations, none of them major, are: