Health violations close 2 cafes, stadium concession stand in Fresno area. Here’s the list
Two Fresno food businesses and one in Reedley were temporarily closed in February for violations found during visits by Fresno County health inspectors.
In Fresno, a lack of hot water prompted a one-day shutdown of the cafe inside the Barnes & Noble Booksellers store at 7849 N. Blackstone Ave., in the Universal Park shopping center. During a Feb. 9 inspection, water from the faucets reached only 62 degrees – well under the 100 degrees required at the handwashing sink and below the 120 degrees required at a mop sink and three-compartment sink. The cafe was allowed to reopen the next day after the water heater was repaired.
A Feb. 13 inspection of various food and snack bar facilities at Reedley High School revealed no hot water available at the stadium concession stand. The stand remained closed as of Thursday until a reinspection confirms that the problem is solved.
At Saint Coffee, inside a eyebrow salon in the Pavilion West shopping center at Bullard and West avenues in northwest Fresno, a Feb. 28 inspection determined that the business was operating without a valid health permit from the county’s Environmental Health Division. It’s a repeat of a violation from Dec. 4, when an inspection also showed that several changes to the location of equipment had been made without submitting required plans to the health department, including the installation of an unapproved matcha bar.
County health officials reported that Saint Coffee remains closed while plans submitted to the county are undergoing a review.
A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations inspectors from the Department of Public Health find when they make their routine visits. Hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees is considered important by inspectors for safely washing pots, pans, dishes and glasses, and 100 degrees for employees to wash their hands.
Insect or vermin infestations are another type of violation that can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by health inspectors.
Among other serious concerns for food safety are refrigerators that don’t keep food cold enough or steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth, or clogged sinks or drains that cause contaminated water to back up into kitchens.
In most instances, if an inspector finds a problem, it’s something that can be fixed on the spot – issues such as having enough bleach or sanitizer in the water used to wipe down food-preparation areas, putting lids back onto containers in walk-in refrigerators, replenishing soap, paper towels and toilet paper in the restrooms, or reminding employees to wash their hands and wear gloves and hairnets.
When inspectors visit a restaurant or other food service business, there is a lengthy and detailed list of more than 50 things that draw their scrutiny. They include:
Whether the manager and all employees have the required food safety or food-handling certificates.
Hygiene of individual employees.
Ways to keep cold food at or below 41 degrees and hot food above 135 degrees.
Use of proper sterilization for counters, tables, utensils and cookware.
Overall cleanliness.
Proper drainage of sinks and floor drains.
Restrooms stocked with supplies.
Whether the business has the proper license or permit.
