3 Maricopa eateries ace health inspection

The Pinal County Health Department inspected three Maricopa restaurants in May, handing out perfect scores to all.

Restaurants inspected were Panda Express, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Each store received the departments highest ranking of excellent.

Health inspectors conduct random inspections aimed at ensuring all proper steps are taken to maintain consumer safety, Pinal County officials said.

To that end, the department can issue violations that are either critical or non-critical. Critical violations must be fixed within 10 days and affect a location's score. Non-critical violations must be fixed within 90 days.

Grades are based on the number of violations, with an "E" for excellent being the highest possible score. Other scores are: "S" for satisfactory, "U" for unacceptable and "N" for needs improvement.