Citizen Staff Writer
TOM STAUFFER
tstauffer@tucsoncitizen.com
A restaurant and a mobile vendor failed county inspections in March, while a high school and two day care centers were among five food establishments that scored “needs improvement” ratings.
The Taco Shop Co., 1350 E. Broadway, was hit with five critical violations on a March 30 inspection. Five or more critical violations results in a “provisional” rating that removes an establishment’s regular license to serve food until it passes a follow-up inspection.
The restaurant was cited for cooked potentially hazardous foods not cooled properly; potentially hazardous foods not held at proper cooling temperature; hand washing facilities not available and functional; employees eating, drinking, or using tobacco outside designated areas; and foods not correctly date marked.
Taqueria Rositas, a mobile vendor based at 4389 E. Ocotillo Desert, received a provisional rating on a March 12 inspection for six critical violations: cooked potentially hazardous foods not held at 130 degrees or above; potentially hazardous foods not held at proper cooling temperature; employee’s hands and exposed arms not clean and properly washed; employees not using proper hand and arm cleaning procedures; food employees not preventing contamination of ready-to-eat food by limiting bare hand contact to approved methods; food contact surfaces and equipment not cleaned frequently and properly to prevent food contamination; and person in charge not assigned, or cannot demonstrate adequate food safety knowledge applicable to operation.
The sanitarian noted several prepared foods that were not being held at proper temperatures, including a container of beef adovada at 123 degrees, a pot of beef cabeza at 109 degrees, and a pan of tripas (beef tripe) at 51 degrees. Potentially hazardous foods required to be kept at 41 degrees or less or 130 degrees or more.
Taqueria Rositas passed a follow-up inspection March 23 that restored its regular license, said Sharon Browning, program manager for the county’s Consumer Health and Food Safety unit. The Taco Shop Co. has yet to undergo its follow-up inspection, she said.
Establishments that received “Needs Improvement” ratings on March inspections were:
• Catalina High School, 3645 E. Pima St.
• First Impressions Daycare & Preschool, 655 S. Craycroft Road
• Kids World Preschool & Kindergarten East, 4761 E. Fifth St.
• Papa John’s Pizza, 615 N. Park Ave.
• Teen Challenge of Arizona, 2637 N. Oracle Road