Leaking grease and lots of unlabeled food: Abilene's weekly restaurant inspections

The city of Abilene Environmental Health Division regularly monitors restaurants and food establishments for compliance with state food safety requirements.

Frequent inspections are essential in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses through contamination and improper handling, storage and sanitation.

Scores for retail food establishments, food stores, mobile food units and school and daycare establishments inspected the week of Aug. 12-18 are listed below.

Disclaimer: On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in its most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. A few more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Perfect scores

Crossmark , 5550 S. Clack St.

Tokyo Gardens Catering , 1345 Barrow St.

New Horizons-Audrey Grace House , 598 Medical Drive

H-E-B Deli Kitchen , 1345 Barrow St.

High to moderates scores

Residence Inn Abilene , 1641 Musgrave Blvd.: 99

Walmart Subway , 1650 TX-351: 99

CVS Pharmacy , 965 N. Judge Ely Blvd.: 98

Smoothie King , 3115 S. 14th St.: 98

Sam's Club Café , 5550 S. Clack St.: 97

Big Adventures Learning Center , 3250 Beltway South: 97

Pizza Hut , 550 E. North Ambler Ave.: 96

Chick-Fil-A at Hendricks Medical Center , 1900 Pine St.: 96

Subway , 2001 S. First St.: 95

Texas Flaming Grill , 549 Ambler Ave.: 94

Mian Bistro , 6410 Buffalo Gap Road: 94

American Legion Post 57 , 302 ES 11th St.: 94

Koolerz , 2402 S. Treadaway Blvd.: 94

Century Theatres , 3818 John Knox Drive: 94

Subway , 1542 Pine St.: 94

H-E-B Food Store , 1345 Barrow St.: 94

Denny's , 3114 S. Clack St.: 93

Chick-Fil-A , 1750 Highway 351: 92

1st Place Café , 1442 N. Second St.: 92

Sharon's Catering/Party Room , 875 E. Hwy. 80: 91

Denny's , 120 E. Overland Trl.: 90

Last week's inspections: Floating cockroaches and unlabeled toxic sprays: Abilene's weekly restaurant inspections

Low scores and why

Burgers & Fries , 302 S. Pioneer Drive: 89

• Priority violation: Food not protected from cross contamination. Raw chicken-fried steak was stored above buttermilk dredging mix in the glass display cooler. Corrected on-site by the manager.
• Priority violation: Improper storage of toxic items. Sanitizing bucket was stored next to the fry scoop on the metal rack. Corrected on-site by the manager.
• Cracked plastic lid at the burger prep station determined not in good repair.
• Multiple flies were seen in the kitchen area and the establishment is not properly inspecting the premises for presence of insects.
• Failure of employees to restrict eating food and chewing gum to areas where food is not exposed and equipment or utensils are not washed. Corrected by the manager.
• Buttermilk and egg containers were being stored on the floor in the walk-in cooler.

Café 322 , 4002 Loop 322: 89

• Priority violation: Sliced ham held in the walk-in cooler for more than 24 hours was held past the discard date "8/5/24." Inspection done on Aug. 13. Corrected on-site by the chef.
• Priority violation: Jam was not from an approved source, and the establishment could not provide documentation that the jam was from an approved source. The documentation is a manufacturing license from the business which allows them to sell their product retail to retail.
• Priority violation: Can opener blade was not clean to sight and touch.
• Jam does not include a list of ingredients, nutritional labeling and quantity of contents. These details are required records for packaged food labels.

Inspection comments: Cottage food sold at the farmers market is made in a home kitchen and can only be sold to the end user being the customer at the farmer's market. To sell to a retail food business, the cottage food operator would need a manufacturing license.

Mr. Gatti's Pizza of Abilene , 2665 Buffalo Gap Road: 89

• Priority violation: Cheese pizza temped at 121 degrees and sausage pizza temped at 105 degrees which is considered in the temperature danger zone. Corrected on-site and voluntarily discarded.
• Priority violation: Mold-like substance was seen under Dr. Pepper cap on soda machine. Corrected on-site and cleaned.
• Priority violation: Observed food debris on food containers stored on clean ware rack in rear of kitchen. Corrected on-site and voluntarily discarded.
• A large container was blocking access to the hand-wash sink in rear of kitchen. Corrected on-site and the container was moved.

Fazoli's , 4066 S. Danville Drive: 89

• Priority violation: Cooked pasta in pasta cooler temped at 50 degrees which is considered in the temperature danger zone. Corrected on-site and moved to walk-in cooler for rapid cool down.
• Priority violation: Pasta sauce was seen on cleaned plates on clean ware shelf. Corrected on-site and moved to three-compartment sink to be recleaned.
• Priority violation: Floor drain on east end of building was clogged with sewage draining on kitchen floor. Corrected on-site and plumber unclogged drain. The floor was cleaned and sanitized.
• Tub of ice water for cooling cooked pasta was on the floor, risking environmental contamination.
• Observed single-use containers stored not covered or inverted on shelf. Violation was corrected on-site and containers were inverted to prevent potential contamination.

Whitten at the Mall , 3450 S. Clack St.: 89

• Priority violation: Pyrex bowl at the waffle batter mixing station had dried food residue and not considered clean. The bowl was removed to be ware-washed.
• Priority violation: A bottle of Windex and a package of Zevo pest control cartridges was found on a shelf adjacent to a pitcher and disposable cups. Chemical spray bottles must be labeled with contents to ensure proper usage. The spray bottle and Zevo package was removed.
• Priority violation: Tracking powder was observed in multiple areas on the kitchen floor. Tracking powder cannot be used by the establishment for pest control. The tracking powder needs to be removed in a manner to prevent contamination.
• The establishment needs to post a sign reminding customers to use clean plates and tableware when returning to the breakfast buffet.
• Fresh remnants of coffee was observed in the basin of a hand-wash sink. Hand-wash sinks must not be used for any other reason than washing hands. This was discussed with the employee working in the kitchen at the time of the inspection.

Stripes Store , 2717 Industrial Blvd.: 88

• Priority violation: Sliced bologna held in the customer display cooler was held past the discard date "8/9/24." Inspection was done Aug. 12. Bologna was discarded on-site by the manager.
• Priority violation: Food not protected from cross contamination. Raw bacon was stored above sliced American cheese, a ready-to-eat food, in the customer display cooler. Corrected on-site by the manager.
• Priority violation: Can opener blade was not clean to sight and touch.
• Priority violation: Observed improper disposal of sewage. Grease buckets were stored on top of the grease holding tank and observed grease on the ground. Outdoor area needs to be cleaned with kitty litter to absorb the grease and then power-washed.

DK , 1657 E. Highway 351: 88

• Priority violation: Chicken wrap sandwiches held in the display cooler were not date marked.
• A sanitizing solution test kit for measuring the concentration of sanitizing solution was not provided.
• Hand-washing sink by the three-compartment sink did not have disposable towels.
• Establishment not inspecting incoming shipment of food and supplies for insects, rodents and other pests. Observed rodent droppings underneath the drink prep counter.
• Broken ceiling tile was seen above the toilet in the unisex restroom. Facilities are not maintained in good repair.
• Covered waste receptacles were not provided in the unisex toilet facilities.

DK , 1202 Grape St.: 87

• Priority violation: Premade chicken and ham sandwiches held in the display cooler were not date marked. Ask the supplier to date mark them when they come in.
• Priority violation: Establishment has a spray bottle by the mop sink that is not properly labeled with the common name of the chemical.
• Test strips at the three-compartment sink expired in 2021 and need to be replaced.
• Hand-washing sink by the mop sink did not have disposable towels.
• Physical facilities are not maintained in good repair. Ceiling tiles with water damage were seen in the back storage room.

Torchy's Tacos , 3765 Catclaw Drive: 85

• Priority violation: Corn and bean salad held in the drawer cooler was not properly date marked. Salad was prepped Aug. 14, the day before the inspection. Corrected on-site by an employee.
• Priority violation: Two whole tomatillos were soft to the touch in the bin, rendering them unsafe to consume. Corrected on-site by the manager.
• Priority violation: Improper storage of toxic items. Spray bottles were stored next to the soda boxes. Corrected on-site by the manager.
• Gray plastic bin in the walk-in cooler had a broken handle and deemed not in good repair.
• Failure to wear beard covers in an effective manner.
• Observed spoiled tomatillos stored next to sound tomatillos in the plastic bin. Corrected on-site by the manager.

Dixie Pig , 1401 Butternut St.: 81

• Priority violation: Buttermilk dredging batter held cold on the countertop since the morning of inspection temped in the temperature danger zone. The cook put the batter into a hotel pan of ice to cool it down.
• Priority violation: Food not protected from cross-contamination. Raw ground beef was stored above cooked sausage patties, a ready-to-eat food, in the reach-in cooler. Corrected on-site by an employee.
• Priority violation: Can opener blade was not clean. Corrected on-site by an employee who moved it to be washed.
• Priority violation: Establishment has a clear spray bottle of clear solution that is not properly labeled. Corrected on-site by the cook.
• Hand-washing sink by the cook prep area did not have disposable towels. Corrected on-site by an employee.
• All food contact surfaces, counters or work surfaces in the establishment are not easily cleanable. A large sheet of paper was being used to cover the metal counter at the dredging station.
• Failure of employees to restrict drinking beverages and using tobacco to areas where food is not exposed and equipment or utensils are not washed. Multiple open top employee drinks without a lid were in the food prep area.
• Nonfood contact surfaces of the inside of the prep line reach-in cooler showed signs of food debris.
• Establishment lacks sufficient lighting at the entrance to the walk-in cooler. The light switch by the walk-in cooler wasn't working.

Inspection Comments: The outside garbage can needs to have the lid replaced. Establishment needs to speak to chemical supplier about getting test strips to measure sanitizing solution. Redid risk assessment for restaurant as they are only open five days a week for breakfast and lunch.

Los Arcos , 1902 Ambler Ave.: 78

• Priority violation: Enchilada sauce held cold on the steamer/ice bath line temped above cold holding temperature which puts food items at risk. Corrected on-site by an employee.
• Priority violation: Cooked rice located on the steam table for hot holding was not at proper hot holding temperature. Rice was reheated to 165 degrees.
• Priority violation: Tamales and carne guisada prepared at an unknown date and time was held in the walk-in cooler and not date marked.
• Priority violation: Wall vegetable slicer was not clean.
• Equipment for cooling, heating, cold hold and hot hold is not sufficient in number and capacity to provide proper food temperatures. Observed enchilada sauce sitting on top of the warmer unit. It was neither hot or cold.
• Cold hold dessert cooler unit lacked an integral or permanently affixed temperature measuring device.
• The hand-washing sink by the fryer was being used to store dirty dishes.
• Failure of employees to restrict chewing gum to areas where food is not exposed and equipment or utensils are not washed. Gum container seen at serving station.
• In use metal scoops used for serving sour cream and cold vegetables was being stored in container of water at a temperature of 81 degrees which is below the 135-degree requirement.

Buffet Asia , 3366 John Knox Drive: 75

• Priority violation: Observed raw beef and raw chicken at 44 degrees in kitchen day cooler. Temped raw beef and raw chicken at 59 degrees in dining room day cooler. Corrected on-site and moved to walk-in cooler for rapid cool down.
• Priority violation: Open can of tomato sauce in kitchen cooler did not properly mark dates. Corrected on-site and voluntarily discarded.
• Priority violation: Observed can with no label on can rack in kitchen. Corrected on-site and voluntarily discarded.
• Priority violation: Cleaned pans were stacked on clean ware rack with remnants of content labels on them.
• Priority violation: A spray can of Raid insect killer was improperly stored above food items in storage area. Corrected on-site and moved.
• Priority violation: Grease was seen leaking from dumpster behind establishment and flowing down John Knox Drive.
• Day cooler in dining room was not keeping foods at proper temperature.
• No hand dry provision were provided at kitchen hand-wash sink. Corrected and paper towels were provided.
• Observed residue dripping down to open pans of raw beef in day cooler on main line. Violation was corrected.
• Cleaned pans were stacked before dry on clean ware rack.
• Day cooler handles on main line were not clean.

To report a food establishment that is not following safe food-handling practices, call Environmental Health at 325- 437-4590 to initiate a complaint. Be prepared to provide specific details about the name and address of the facility, the date and time the unsafe practice was observed, and the exact practice in question.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Leaking grease and lots of unlabeled food: Abilene's weekly restaurant inspections