Food inspections return with many violations  

Restaurant inspections are back at InMaricopa.com after a technical glitch with Pinal County Environmental Health Department slowed reporting results for several weeks.  

Here is a summary of Aug. 12–Oct. 7 food inspections by the county.  

Moving forward, look for these the first and third Mondays of each month at InMaricopa.com. 

  

SATISFACTORY RATING 

Barro’s Pizza (Inspected Sept. 30)  

• Cooking and baking equipment:  
• Observed heavy accumulation of food debris on frying baskets.  

Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  

• Internal temperatures of meatballs and sauce held in the steam well 108-127°F (lower than 135°F required).  

Cooling methods:  

• Internal temperatures of cooked pasta in reach-in cooler 94-97°F (lower than 41°F required).  

Sanitizing solutions, testing devices:  

• Using quat sanitizer without testing strips.  

Cleaning, frequency and restrictions:  

• Buildup of debris on floors and walls throughout kitchen.  

Cleaning ventilation systems, nuisance and discharge prohibition:  

• Buildup of dust around air vents above open food-prep areas.  

Butterfield Elementary School (Inspected Sept. 6)  

• Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  

• Internal temperatures of corn held in upright-warmer 91-93°F (lower than 135°F required).  

Exceptional Community Hospital (Inspected Sept. 20)  

• Certified food protection manager:  
• No employees on shift with a certified food manager certificate.   

Ready-to–eat time/temperature control for safety food, disposition:  

• Open container of hard-boiled eggs in prep cooler with an expired make date from September inspection on Sept. 20.  

Francisco’s Mexican Food (Inspected Sept. 28)  

• Cooling:  

• Internal temperatures of green salsa being held in closed, plastic, 5-gallon buckets in the reach-in cooler were 48-50°F. Per the cook, the salsa was made the prior day’s afternoon.   

Sanitizers, criteria–chemicals:  

• Chlorine level in the two in-use sanitizing buckets was at least 200 ppm. (higher than 50-100 ppm required).   

Identifying information, prominence–original containers:  

• Three unlabeled spray bottles above the three-compartment sink.  

Good repair and proper adjustment–equipment:  

• Gaskets on the reach-in cooler (holding green salsa) are damaged.  

Good Donuts (Inspected Sept. 20)  

• Time as a public health control:  

• Croissant sandwiches being held in the display case at room temperature. Manager stated item was made at 5 .am. and was to be sold or discarded within four hours/ by 9 a.m. Time of inspection was 12:30 p.m.  

Controlling pests:  

• Live cockroaches in the food prep area, around the three compartment sinks and back door and mop sink area. 

Jack in the Box (Inspected Oct. 4)  

• Preventing Contamination from Hands:  
• Cook used bare hands in direct contact with ready to eat foods (sandwich). 

KFC/Long John Silvers  (Inspected Aug. 19)  

• Equipment, food–contact surfaces, non–food–contact surfaces and utensils:  

• Heavy accumulation of food debris on racks, trays and pans at chicken-breading station.  

Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  

• Internal temperatures of cooked chicken in upright warmer 125-130°F (lower than 135°F required).  

Cooling methods:  

• Internal temperature of coleslaw in walk-in and on prep line 47-48°F (lower than 41°F required).  

Cooling, heating and holding capacities–equipment:  

• Ambient air temperature in upright reach-in cooler 125°F (lower than 135°F required).  

Clean condition–outer clothing:  

• Chicken-prep employee’s clothing had heavy accumulation of flour and debris.  

Good repair and proper adjustment–equipment:  

• Upright hot holding cabinet door hinges broken. Walk-in cooler door panel damaged.  

Equipment, food–contact surfaces, nonfood–contact surfaces and utensils:  

• Buildup of food accumulation and debris on non-food contact surfaces: prep cooler doors and handles, under and around hot holding cabinets, on chicken-breading area prep units and inside soda machine cabinet.  

Cleaning, frequency and restrictions:  

• Buildup of debris and water on floors and in chicken-prep and fry areas.  

Floors, walls and ceilings–cleanability :  

• Several floor tiles and baseboard tiles missing or damaged.  

Plaza Bonita (Inspected Oct. 4)  

• Reheating for hot holding:  

• Temperatures of cooked cheese being held in the upright warmer was 76-82°F (lower than 165°F required).  

Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  

• Temperatures of reheated chicken and beef being held in the steam well (at levels above holding line) were 117-127°F (lower than 165°F required).  

Identifying information, prominence–original containers:  

• Sanitizer dispenser at the three-compartment sink was tested to be at 0.0 ppm quat sanitizer. Detergent dispenser at the same sink was tested and found to be at 200-400 ppm quat sanitizer. The two dispensers were switched; sanitizer was being dispensed from the detergent dispenser.  

Sanitizing solutions, testing devices:  

• Operator is using quat–based sanitizer without the use of testing strips.  

Rili-B’s Taco Shop (Inspected Sept. 6)  

• Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding (P):  

• Internal temperatures of corn dogs, chicken and hamburgers in upright warmer 85-101°F, warmer not on (≥135°F required).  

Good Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment:  

• Hot water faucet handle on back hand sink broken.  

System Maintained in Good Repair:  

• Tape around drain pipes at three-compartment sink.  

Taco’s N More (Inspected Oct. 4)   

• Cooling:  
• Internal temperatures of chili verde sauce being held in a deep, metal pot in the walk-in cooler without a date was 54-55°F.   

Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  

• Internal temperatures of salsa and cut cabbage being held at the salsa bar were 56-64°F. (lower than 41°F required).  

Ready-to–eat time/temperature control for safety food, date marking:  

• Several containers of cooked food with Sept. 1 date marks being held in the walk-in cooler. Cook stated that the staff does not know how to use the gun properly and that the food was made on Oct. 1.  

Consumption of animal foods that are raw, undercooked, or not otherwise processed to eliminate pathogens:  

• Operator is providing “cook to order” eggs and raw shrimp without the use of a complete consumer advisory.  

Cooling, heating, and holding capacities–equipment:  

• Cold holding unit at the salsa bar not working.  

QuikTrip (Inspected Sept. 15)  

• Manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization–temperature, pH, concentration and hardness:  
• Surface of the high temperature dish machine was tested and recorded at 97° F. High temperature water sanitation not (lower than 160° F required).  

Reheating for hot holding:  

• Buffalo chicken on “still cooking’ section of the roller grills, moved by employee “ready for sale” section of the grill. Internal temperatures of the buffalo chicken were taken and were 100-115°F. Manager stated the items had been placed on the rollers approximately 15 minutes prior.  

QuikTrip Kitchen (Inspected Sept. 15)  

• Manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization–temperature, pH, concentration and hardness:  
• Surface of the high temperature dish machine was tested and recorded at 97° F. High temp water sanitation not (lower than 160° F required).  

Say Sushi (Inspected Sept. 27)  

• Assignment:  
• Employees stated that there was no “person in charge” present at the start of the inspection. Staff had to call a manager to come in.  

When to wash:  

• Employee at the sushi station rubbed their nose with their hands and began to continue with food prep. Employee was immediately stopped and instructed to wash their hands. Employee left the establishment. Observed employee put on lip/chap stick then begin to continue with food service. Manager was notified and manager instructed employee to wash their hands. Repeat violation.  

Manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization–temperature, pH, concentration and hardness:  

• Dish machine was tested to have 10 ppm chlorine (lower than 50-100 ppm required)  

Wiping cloths, use limitatio:  

• Employees at the sushi station wipe down cutting boards and knives with wet wiping cloths, a sanitizing bucket for the cloths was not present.  

99 Cents Only Store (Inspected Sept. 28)  

• Time/temperature control for safety food, hot and cold holding:  
• Internal temperatures of pre-packaged cut lettuce, cut cabbage and bean sprouts being held in the produce display grab-n-go stands were 57-64°F. Manager stated food was placed there yesterday after the main procure cooler broke down. (lower than 41°F required).  

Restaurants that received Excellent ratings include:  

Aliberto’s, Arby’s, Circle K at 18141 N. John Wayne Parkway, Circle K at 21212 N. John Wayne Parkway, Burger King, CVS Pharmacy, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (Walmart), Dickey’s Barbecue Pit (John Wayne Parkway), Dollar Tree, Domino’s Pizza, Dutch Bros, The Duke at Rancho El Dorado, La Quinta Inn & Suites, Maricopa Elementary, Maricopa Wells Middle School, Mod Pizza, Molly’s House of Little Feet, Oumi Sushi – Sprouts, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Pima Butte Elementary, Pizza Hut, Raceway Bar & Grill, Rob’s Convenience, Roots Eatery, Saddleback Elementary, Santa Rosa Elementary, Sequoia Pathway Academy — K-6, Sequoia Pathway Academy — Secondary, Sunrise Preschool, Taco Bell, The Box Meat Shop, The New HQ, Walgreens, Walmart, Walmart — Bakery and Walmart — Deli, Wendy’s, Yogurt Jungle.  

Read our previous food inspections report here: Restaurant hit with 3 food violations – InMaricopa  

   

Some of this content was first published in the October edition of InMaricopa magazine.