13 Health Violations, Including Meat Stored on Dirty Cardboard, Found at Popular Chinese Restaurant

A local restaurant did not perform well during its health inspection.Photo byMikael SeegenonUnsplash

When it comes to classic Chinese restaurants around greater Tucson, few have had longevity like Old Peking Chinese Restaurant. With nearly 900 reviews on Google and almost 1,500 on EatStreet, you’re not going to find many other eateries of any kind with those kinds of numbers. However, even restaurants with tenure must go through annual health inspections. Unfortunately, much like its review numbers, the restaurant’s violations were high, with a total of 13 problems identified by the health department on its most recent visit.

A health inspector stopped by Old Peking Chinese Restaurant on August 17. Located at 2522 East Speedway Blvd, despite the 13 violations, the restaurant was only given a “Needs Improvement” score. However, this does indicate a future inspection will take place in the coming weeks, at which point the score can improve to “Satisfactory” or “Fail.”

The first problem, given the restaurant’s longevity, was surprising, as it did not have a single employee with a Certified Food Protection Manager certification. All restaurants must have at least one certification on hand. The Person In Charge (PIC) was told to have this issue corrected by the next routine inspection.

The inspector found employee beverage cups and a teapot stored on shelves above dishes. The issue was corrected at the time of inspection. For anyone who has worked in a restaurant before, this is likely one of the most common “problems,” and usually is temporary as the workers discard their cuts at the end of the shift. Nevertheless, employee beverages must not be stored above or around dishes or food prep areas.

It looked as if dirty storage containers were in use. The inspector noted this and instructed the staff to deep clean the entire kitchen and to pay special attention to food debris at the end of every day.

Like other restaurants, Old Peking goes through a considerable amount of sauce over the course of a day. However, the staff was storing buckets of sauces directly under the hand washing sink (amongst other places). Additionally, cut produce was stored directly on dirty cardboard. The health inspector pointed out the need to store all foods in a walk-in cooler (not under a sink) and to be at least six inches off the floor.

However, the staff was probably not using the walk-in cooler as frequently as it should because the light bulb inside of the unit had a light intensity of 5 lux (a living room light bulb usually has about 50). Restaurants must have a 108 lux bulb. The staff was informed of the problem.