Follow-up inspections give OK to 2 eateries failed in Nov.
by Tom Stauffer on Dec. 19, 2008, under Local, Special, TasteEl Minuto, Jerry Bob’s correct violations
El Minuto Café, a downtown favorite for Mexican food for 72 years, was one of two restaurants to fail unannounced county inspections in November.
El Minuto, 345 S. Main Ave., and Jerry Bob’s Family Restaurant, 2680 E. Valencia Road, passed follow-up inspections that returned their regular licenses to serve food.
Eight other food establishments scored “needs improvement” ratings from November inspections.
A county sanitarian flagged El Minuto for seven critical violations in a Nov. 19 inspection. Five or more critical violations result in a “provisional” rating that requires the food establishment to pass a follow-up inspection to restore its regular license.
The sanitarian observed employees having bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, and also noted two live roaches and several dead ones in a wood cabinet, and “a sewerlike odor in the restroom area.”
The sanitarian reported that the restaurant lacked a mop sink and sufficient hand-washing sinks.
The restaurant’s violations primarily involved infrastructure or procedural issues, all of which have been taken care of, said George Shaar, a member at large of El Minuto’s ownership group.
“There were things that didn’t affect the well-being of the public but didn’t satisfy the fine lines of the food code,” Shaar said. “We want to reassure the public that we have taken care of everything and that we are committed to satisfying our customers and doing the best job we can for them.”
Because El Minuto has received prior violations for employees not properly washing their hands, installing a hand sink in a different area should optimize hand-washing procedures, said Sharon Browning, program manager for the county’s Consumer Health and Food Safety unit.
“What happens with older restaurants is that when the food code was written, it just said you need a hand sink, but it didn’t tell you where you had to put it,” Browning said. “The new food code talks about having them in certain areas, and I really believe that’s for the betterment of public safety. In this case, there was a lack of infrastructure that was causing the employees not to wash their hands.”
The sanitarian who conducted a Nov. 2 inspection at Jerry Bob’s cited the restaurant for five critical violations, all of which were corrected during the inspection. Despite the fact corrections were made, the nature of the violations and the resulting provisional rating still require that the establishment pass a follow-up inspection to ensure the proper procedures are being maintained, Browning said.
The sanitarian reported that nine different food items at Jerry Bob’s were being held at improper temperatures, including rice at 94 degrees and half-and-half at 79 degrees and also noted that a pan of hash browns was stored on top of a garbage bin, and that areas of a makeshift prep table were soiled with food debris and grease.
Another Jerry Bob’s location, 7939 N. Oracle Road, was one of eight food establishments receiving “needs improvement” ratings in November inspections.
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County food inspections
These restaurants received “provisional” ratings on November inspections:
• El Minuto Café, 345 S. Main Ave.
• Jerry Bob’s Family Restaurant, 2680 E. Valencia Road
These food establishments scored “needs improvement” ratings on November inspections:
• American Citizens Social Club, 811 N. Second Ave. in Ajo
• El Perro Caliente Hot Dogs, 5330 S. 12th Ave. (mobile vendor)
• Jerry Bob’s Family Restaurant, 7939 N. Oracle Road
• Madre Mia’s, 8201 S. Rita Road
• Marisco’s El Marinero, 742 W. Ohio St. (mobile vendor)
• Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant, 16238 N. Oracle Road
• Rita Ranch Market & Pizzeria, 8201 S. Rita Road (market with deli)
• Sunnyside Up Cafe, 15800 N. Oracle Road
