16 food establishments fail Pima County health inspections in October
Sixteen food service establishments failed Pima County Health Department inspections in October. Ten passed follow-up inspections and six are awaiting re-inspection.
Here’s what you need to know:
Albertson’s #963
UpdatedHistory: Mainly good and excellent ratings for several years, but received a needs improvement rating Oct. 1 and failed an initial re-inspection Oct. 11
What the inspector saw: The store’s bakery lacked a hand-washing sink in the customer service area where employees slice bread and decorate cakes. Once a new sink was installed, inspectors returned and found it lacked a proper hot water supply.
Follow-up: Passed re-inspection on Oct. 22
Comments: “A plumber was called immediately,” said Nancy Keane, a Phoenix-based corporate spokeswoman for the supermarket chain. “We have taken all necessary precautions to prevent reoccurrence.”
Baggin’s #5
UpdatedWhat the inspector saw: Foods stored at unsafe temperatures including tuna salad, chicken salad, turkey, lettuce and sliced tomatoes; two hand-washing sinks and a sanitizing sink for kitchenware did not have a proper hot water supply.
Follow up: Passed a second re-inspection on Oct. 29.
Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned by deadline.
Circle K #99
UpdatedHistory: Mainly passing or excellent ratings since 2016, but was placed on probation Oct. 24 and failed an initial re-inspection Nov. 5.
What the inspector saw: Milk, hot dogs and burritos stored at unsafe temperatures; hot dogs not marked with use-by dates; no soap at hand-washing sink; food handling utensils were not sanitized before use.
Follow-up: The store is awaiting a second follow-up inspection.
Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned by deadline.
Circle K #2924
UpdatedHistory: Mainly good and excellent ratings in the past, but this year has failed five of seven health inspections. Most recently, it received an Oct. 10 needs improvement rating, failed an initial follow-up inspection on Oct. 22 and was placed on probation during a second follow-up inspection Nov. 1.
What the inspector saw: Numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including milk, egg rolls, burritos, nacho cheese sauce, cheeseburgers and chicken salad sandwiches, a problem also identified in two other recent inspections; some foods had no use-by dates, the third such finding in the past month or so; rodent droppings in storage area; no door on toilet room; trash buildup by back door.
Follow-up: The store is awaiting a third follow-up inspection.
Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned by deadline.
Circle K #719
UpdatedHistory: Good and excellent ratings for several years, but the store received a needs improvement rating Oct. 22 and failed an initial re-inspection Oct. 24.
What in inspector saw: Numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including burritos, calzones and five kinds of sandwiches; temperature problem was not promptly corrected.
Follow-up: Passed a second follow-up inspection Nov. 1.
Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned by deadline.
Denny’s #6913
UpdatedHistory: Good and excellent ratings for 10-plus years until a needs improvement finding on Sept. 21 and a failed re-inspection Oct. 1.
What the inspector saw: Lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, pickles and shredded cheese stored at unsafe temperatures; two hand-washing sinks blocked and inaccessible; kitchenware stored as clean had food debris; wiping cloths not properly stored in sanitizing solution; sanitizing sink was directly connected to sewage system; excessive food debris near cooking equipment.
Follow-up: Passed a second re-inspection Oct. 11.
Comments: A request for comment was not returned by deadline.
La Parrilla Suiza
UpdatedHistory: Mainly good ratings since 2015 but was placed on probation Oct. 17.
What the inspector saw: Numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including beef tamales, chicken taquitos, chile rellenos, breaded fish, rice, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. This was the third time in five inspections that food temperature problems were identified; employee did not wash hands immediately prior to food preparation, the third time in five inspections that a hand-washing issue was identified; some foods had incorrect date labeling.
Follow-up: Passed re-inspection Oct. 29.
Comments: Marcos Celaya, who identified himself as the person in charge, said problems have been corrected and “everything is fine now.”
Los Betos Mexican Food
UpdatedHistory: Good and excellent ratings for the past five years but was placed on probation Oct. 24.
What the inspector saw: Ham, cheese, shredded beef, sour cream and salsa stored at unsafe temperatures; several foods had no use-by dates; no properly functioning food thermometer; dishes stored as clean were encrusted with food debris; refrigerator shelving had “hanging dried food debris capable of contaminating exposed food.”
Follow-up: Passed a Nov. 5 follow-up inspection.
Comments: Manager Ana Hernandez said problems have been corrected.
Pho Can Tho
UpdatedHistory: New owners took over in February at the restaurant, formerly known as Pho 88. The site was placed on probation Oct. 22 and failed a Nov. 1 follow-up inspection.
What the inspector saw: Rice, noodles, broth and raw eggs stored at unsafe temperatures; two cooks put gloves on over unwashed hands to handle food; kitchen hand-washing sink blocked and inaccessible; two bottles of cleaning products were stored with their spray nozzles over a bowl of cooked pork; no use-by dates on stored food; wok and other cookware stored on kitchen floor; back door was propped open without a screen; person in charge was not familiar with basic food safety practices; manager not certified in food protection management; no food thermometer.
Follow-up: The site is awaiting a second re-inspection.
Comments: New owner Joe Jimenez said he’s had a steep learning curve and has made many improvements. He said the restaurant sells out almost daily, a sign food quality has not been affected.
Sonoran Delights
Updated
Sonoran Delights, 921 W. Congress St. - courtesy of Google earth
History: Mainly good and excellent ratings until early 2017. Since then, four of eight health inspections have had negative findings, most recently on Oct. 26 when the site was put on probation.
What the inspector saw: Carne asada, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes stored at unsafe temperatures; rodent droppings in storage area; employee washed hands in mop sink instead of hand sink; multiple kitchen utensils stored as clean had “visible, encrusted food debris;” no person in charge was on the premises.
Follow-up: Passed a Nov. 5 follow-up inspection.
Comments: Could not be reached for comment. Two phone calls were not answered, and there was no voicemail system.
The Taco Shop Co.
Updated
History: Mainly good or passing ratings for the last few years, but was placed on probation Oct. 31.
What the inspector saw: Shredded beef, rice, cheese, lettuce and salsa stored at unsafe temperatures; food debris buildup on floors, walls and ceilings; hand-washing sink was blocked and inaccessible, an issue inspectors had noted at least twice before; insecticide spray stored near food preparation sink; fly trap located above food preparation sink.
Follow-up: The site is awaiting a follow-up inspection.
Comments: A message seeking comment was not returned by deadline.
Tortillas Bryan
Updated
Tortillas Bryan, 2013 S. Fourth Ave., was temporarily shut down as an “imminent health hazard” by Pima County when sewage backed up “throughout the facility,” a county health inspector’s report said.
History: Mainly positive ratings since opening in 2015 but on Oct. 16, the site was placed on probation and shut down for three days as an imminent health hazard.
What the inspector saw: Sewage was backed up “throughout the facility;” employees handled food with bare, unwashed hands; no functioning hand-washing sink; kitchen utensils not sanitized before use; person in charge lacked basic knowledge of food safety practices.
Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 26
Comments: Owner Adrian Holguin said problems have been corrected.
Viva Burrito
UpdatedHistory: Mainly good ratings in years past, but four of seven inspections since April had negative findings. Most recently, a complaint from the public was followed by a needs improvement rating on Oct. 17, a failed initial re-inspection on Oct. 18 and a probation rating on Oct. 19 during a second re-inspection.
What the inspector saw: Numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including tacos, carnitas, machaca, raw eggs, ham, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato; employee did not wash hands before putting on gloves to handle food.
Follow-up: Passed a third follow-up inspection Oct. 29
Comments: A request for comment was not returned by deadline.
Viva Burrito Co.
UpdatedHistory: Good and excellent ratings for several years, but was placed on probation Oct. 23 and failed initial re-inspection on Nov. 2.
What the inspector saw: Numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including shredded beef, machaca, cooked chicken, rolled tacos, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream; multiple dishes with “old food debris;” clean dishes stored on dirty shelving; cleaning products stored near cooking products; employee placed a bucket from the floor on top of food preparation table; mop sink and sanitizing sink were directly connected to sewage system; no working thermometer.
Follow-up: Awaiting a second follow-up inspection.
Comments: Declined to comment.
Wok & Roll Buffet
UpdatedHistory: Good and excellent ratings since opening in 2015, but the site was temporarily shut down by the health department on Sept. 19 over unsafe food temperatures and “grossly unsanitary conditions.” The site also failed an Oct. 1 inspection.
What the inspector saw: Roof leaks in kitchen and dining room; numerous foods stored at unsafe temperatures including salmon sushi, tempura crab, raw chicken and shrimp, cooked noodles, hard-boiled eggs, pineapple and cucumber salad; raw shrimp was dripping juice onto cooked egg rolls; mold build-up on ice machine; bleach stored near bowl of thawing fish had “bleach dripping down the bottle onto the bowl;” employees dispensed ice with dirty hands; employee used un-sanitized knife to prepare food.
Follow-up: Passed a follow-up inspection Oct. 11.
Comments: A request for comment was not returned by deadline.
Walter’s Market
Updated
Excessive trash build-up provided a potential nesting place for vermin at Walter’s Market, 4425 S. Sixth Ave., where Pima County inspectors found dead and live cockroaches during a recent health inspection.
History: The store had a near-perfect track record until this year, when it failed an inspection in May. More recently, it was placed on probation Oct. 3, then failed a follow-up inspection Oct. 15.
What the inspector saw: Person in charge lacked basic food safety knowledge; utensils not sanitized; three cockroaches — two dead, one alive — were found, along with “possible roach eggs,” in an area for cleaning kitchen equipment; sink for sanitizing equipment was so dirty it was unusable; ice cream was thawed, then refrozen; chemicals stored in unlabeled bottles.
Follow-up: The site also failed a second follow-up inspection Oct. 25. The date of next inspection was not immediately available.
Comments: Declined to comment.
