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Health inspectors observed a dead rat and rodent droppings inside a downtown Modesto restaurant in early August. Violations of this nature have been noted at the facility for two years.
These weren’t the only violations observed by Stanislaus County officials during the latest round of inspections.
The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources . The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly.
Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit also are inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the department’s office.
Dirty conditions at a Stanislaus County restaurant? How to report health code violations
Of the 59 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Wednesday, five were not updated on the site as of Thursday morning.
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com .
Rat issue among major health violations
Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of Aug. 5-11. 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 .
7-Eleven , 2101 Standiford Ave., Suite A, in Modesto, had four violations Aug. 5 — two of them major. The cold-holding condiment unit was noted at 58 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). A toilet-paper roll was found outside of the dispenser and the hand-washing station was lacking a paper towel dispenser. The three-compartment sink faucet was leaking.
Village Market , 3800 Patterson Road in Riverbank, had four violations Aug. 5 — one of them major. There was no mop sink installed — a violation that has been repeated since June 2022. Employees were dumping mop water in the bathroom. There was scented bleach sanitizer being used to wash equipment (must be unscented). There were coffee splatters underneath dispensing nozzles and coffee powders covering the insides of the cappuccino-making machine. Various carbon dioxide tanks were free-standing and not supported by a rigid structure.
Taqueria El Maguey , 3801 Yosemite Blvd., Suite N, in Modesto, had nine violations Aug. 6 — one of them major. The hot water at the three-compartment sink was 109 degrees (must be a minimum of 120 degrees) and the faucet was unable to turn off the cold water valve to dispense only hot water. The interior walls of the ice machine had black and brown staining and there was a panel lacking for the air filter. The exterior surface of the dry bulk food bins had flour buildup. There was a missing floor tile in the backroom. Paper towels were lacking at the front hand-washing sink. Food handler cards were lacking for some employees and there was no verification of a valid food safety certification.
AK Groceries , 710 Sutter Ave. in Modesto, had three violations Aug. 7. There were outdated sandwiches and cream cheese on a shelf in the reach-in refrigerator. The facility lacked hot water throughout. A container with gasoline and a small container of motor oil were observed on the top of the ice machine.
During a reinspection on Aug. 15, the facility still lacked hot water.
M & S Corner Market , 4885 Washington St. in Salida, had three violations Aug. 8. Dark grime had accumulated on the top of the inside of the ice machine. A small portion of the ceiling was damaged above packaged utensils. A portion of the wall in the hallway was damaged and insulation was showing.
Churchkey , 910 12th St. in Modesto, had seven violations Aug. 8 — two of them major. Inspectors observed a dead rat on the floor of an abandoned bathroom in the facility and rodent droppings were in the corner of a hallway. The ceiling in the abandoned restroom had a large rodent access area. Another access point was identified at the wall/floor junction under a drink mixer machine and a dropping was found on floor of this area. A January 2023 inspection report indicated that the owners of the restaurant had been observing rodents in the facility since summer 2022. Rodents, their feces and traps have continued to be noted by inspectors since then.
The rubber holder for the drink pistol at the bar was soiled. The soap dispenser was missing at the hand sink and the hot water faucet at the three-compartment sink in the bar area did not work.
Akitaca Japanese Restaurant , 1800 Prescott Road, Suite C, in Modesto, had five violations Aug. 9 — one of them major. An uncovered container of hard-boiled eggs was found next to uncovered, raw seafood containers in the walk-in refrigerator. Multiple bulk food containers stored in the walk-in refrigerator were found without covers and labels. An accumulation of food debris, grease and dirt was found in multiple spots in the kitchen and the exhaust hood baffle blades were soiled with grease. The mechanical dishwasher chlorine level was below 50 ppm.
Chong’s Cuisine , 1801 Countryside Drive in Turlock, had seven violations Aug. 9 — one of them major. Uncovered rice inside a metal colander under a food prep table was observed sitting at room temperature, 73 degrees. Per the operator, the rice was left over from the night before and was going to be discarded. Multiple pieces of food equipment and utensils were stored directly on the floor throughout the food facility. The sandwich prep refrigerator was noted to have a broken door. When the inspector went to open the door, it came off the hinges and fell onto the floor.
This facility was observed using single-use containers for the storage of opened food product. Food containers were lacking labels. The walk- in refrigerator was lacking a free-standing thermometer. The sanitizer concentration in buckets was observed at more than 200 ppm.
Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections are:
- Bottoms Up Espresso , 1800 Prescott Road, Modesto
- Corn’d (Three of four violations corrected by Aug. 13)
- Donut Basket
- Hot Rod Diner , 1515 Herndon Road, Ceres
- Jamba Juice , 2300 W. Main St., Turlock (Opening inspection, corrected by Aug. 20)
- Larsa Banquet Hall (Three of four corrected by Aug. 8)
- Manny’s Touchdown Pizza & Grill
- Texas Roadhouse , 1665 Countryside Drive, Turlock
- Togo’s , 2900 Standiford Ave. Suite 24, Modesto
Two or fewer non-major violations
According to Stanislaus County, food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are:
- Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill , 3900 Sisk Road, Modesto
- Arby’s , 2100 Standiford Ave. Suite F, Modesto
- Camp 4
- Firenze Ristorante
- Pizza Plus , 12705 Bentley St. Suite F, Waterford
- Round Table Pizza , 3601 Pelandale Ave., Suite 101, Modesto (Corrected by Aug. 14)
- Round Table Pizza , 2650 Geer Road, Turlock
- Round Table Pizza , 102 Ward Ave. Suite A, Patterson
- Salida Club
- Stop N Save Liquors , 3701 Atchison St., Riverbank
- Taco Bell , 2700 Geer Road, Turlock (Corrected by Aug. 14)
- Tresseti World Cafe
- Wingstop , 1515 Mitchell Road Suite 11, Ceres
These Stanislaus County facilities had no violations
These food facilities had no violations, according to the county:
- Ampm , 2033 Standiford Ave., Modesto
- Beverage House Liquor
- Carl’s Jr , 65 Rogers Road, Patterson
- Carnivore’s BBQ Sandwich Shop (inspector denied entry)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill , 975 Sperry Ave., Patterson
- Crooked Spur
- Edward’s Cake & Candy Supplies
- El Vista School Cafeteria
- James C. Enochs High School
- La Mexicana Carniceria
- La Reyna Market
- Liquor Locker
- Lula’s
- Morelia’s
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Oakdale Cheese & Specialties
- Pizza Factory , 1865 Countryside Drive, Turlock
- River Road General Store
- Round Table Pizza , 1515 Mitchell Road Suites 2 & 3, Ceres
- Starbucks , 110 Ward Ave., Patterson
- The Taco Shop
- Walgreens , 995 Sperry Ave., Patterson
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