The following is a list of restaurant inspections done by the Angelina County & Cities Health District between May 24-June 8.
The reports take into account the cleanliness of the restaurant or business, not the quality of the food.
Lindo Mexico Restaurant Corp., 305 S. Timberland Drive, Lufkin
Number of violations: 79 (includes initial and follow up visits)
Reasons for violations: priority violations during current inspections, person in charge not able to provide proof of having certified food manager certification, person in charge not knowledgeable on specific food operation questions; no soap at hand sink in warewashing area; no bodily fluid clean up kit on site; no first aid kit on site; no certified food protection manager present during hours of operation; no certified food protection manager present during hours of operation on June 1; no certified food protection manager present during hours of operation on June 6; no certified food protection manager present during hours of operation on June 9; unable to locate food manager certification posted; no food manager certification posted on June 9; all food handler certifications are expired; on June 6, reviewed food handler certifications and verified with accredited course that certificates were taken back to back. John Mark with Texas Food Handler Certifications confirmed practice tests were failed but all exams passed. John was able to confirm that tests were taken in English. Verified and confirmed person(s) who took the test did not speak English. Employee stated she came to the Angelina County & Cities Health District to complete her certification but our facility hasn’t provided food handler certifications in more than four years. Employee confirmed she did not take the test and knew nothing about it. Employees shall retake food handlers course and complete it on their own to be more knowledgeable on food safety; observed employee using bare hands when handling ready-to-eat food, corrected on site, food that was touched was discarded by employee; on June 6, employee observed touching tortillas (ready-to-eat food) after cooking tortillas, no bare hand contact is allowed with ready-to-eat foods, tortillas were discarded; observed stacking in make-table, container stacked directly stored on top of cut tomatoes, corrected on site, employee discarded removed container and discarded tomatoes; observed uncovered food in walk-in cooler and upright reach-in cooler by ice machine; on June 9, observed uncovered food in walk-in cooler, food in walk-in cooler discarded; observed uncovered food under make-table reach-in cooler, food shall be packaged or covered during storage (unless in the process of cooling); observed unlabeled working containers holding food in walk-in cooler; on June 9, no implementation of labeling food-working containers; observed ice being poured in container of shrimp, ice shall not be used directly on unpackaged food, corrected on site, food voluntarily discarded; observed spoons submerged in containers holding food in walk-in cooler; observed containers holding food stored directly on floor in walk-in cooler; on June 9, observed a large pot of rice on a piece of wood that was placed on top of trash can to cool; observed improper cooling techniques of cooked food (chorizo) that had been placed in walk-in cooler to cool, person in charge stated the food was prepared in the morning, unable to determine if food reached 135 to 70 degrees within the first two hours, food temperature at 62 degrees, food was voluntarily discarded; observed improper cooling methods used, food is stored in walk-in cooler or freezer in large containers to cool, use any of the cooling methods listed above and prescribed by the code; observed food out of prescribed temperature in walk-in cooler and make-table/reach-in cooler, food shall be 41 degrees or below, corrected on site, food was discarded; on June 1, took temperatures of food items in walk-in cooler, chopped onions, 47 degrees; beef fajita, 45 degrees; chicken, 46 degrees; employee called person in charge to come to the facility so I could speak with him, spoke with person in charge and told him he needed to discard the food that was out of temperature but he refused, no temperature log has been kept and no probe or ambient thermometer that works on site; on June 9, walk-in cooler: chicken, 44; fish, 43; barbacoa, 45; ground beef, 43; ranch 44; refried beans, 44; queso, 44. Food in walk-in cooler still not maintaining temperature, food was discarded; food observed without date-marking in walk-in cooler and make-table/reach-in cooler, system needed in place for date-marking all foods that are required to be date-marked; on June 6, observed food in working containers without proper date-marking and labeling, food had to be discarded, person in charge stated food was prepared on June 6 but old date labels were not removed, all containers shall be washed using proper warewashing methods before use; on June 9, observed working containers in walk-in cooler and make-table/reach-in cooler without proper date-marking. Unable to verify how long food was held, food was discarded; observed rusted shelving in walk-in cooler; observed rusted bottom shelves of prep tables; observed rusted outer surface of ice machine near lid opening; observed absorbent paneling used in walk-in cooler; observed grocery bags used to store rice and bread, discontinue using plastic grocery bags that are not food grade, plastic storage bags (except those labeled as microwave safe) and grocery bags are not recommended, substances used in manufacturing the plastic (plasticizers) may cause chemicals to leech into food, repeat from Jan. 7, 2020; observed damaged food prep table with sharp edges in cooking area where grill and fryer are located; thermometers needed to measure the ambient temperature of equipment; observed damaged thermometer on warewashing machine; walk-in cooler not maintaining cold-holding food temperatures; make-table/reach-in cooler not maintaining cold-holding food temperatures, the ability of equipment to cool, heat and maintain time/temperature control for safety foods at code — required temperatures is critical to food safety. Improper holding and cooling temperatures continue to be major contributing factors to foodborne illness, therefore, it is very important to have adequate hot- or cold-holding equipment with enough capacity to meet the heating and cooling demands of the operation; on June 9, walk-in cooler still not adequate to maintain food temperatures; no chemical test strips on site to measure chemical sanitation; no chemical sanitation in wiping cloth bucket measured at 0 ppm; mechanical warewashing machine not dispensing chemical sanitation, chemical sanitation recorded at 0 ppm, discontinue using warewashing machine and utilize three-compartment sink; on June 9, determined warewashing machine was being utilized, discontinue utilizing warewashing machine until repairs are made and proper chemical sanitation is obtained; observed the removable flap inside ice machine screwed in permanently, flap should be removable to clean inside ice machine; observed standing water in make-table/reach-in cooler; observed big gap along the top and bottom of walk-in cooler door. Walk-in cooler not maintaining adequate ambient temperature; observed dirty containers stored on bottom shelf of prep table; observed old stickers on container, remove old labels from all food holding containers when warewashing; observed accumulation of debris on can opener; observed accumulation of encrusted grease deposits and other soil accumulation on cooking and frying equipment; observed dirt, dust, grease and food debris on tables holding cooking equipment; observed dirt, grease and food debris on on shelves in cooking area; observed accumulation of dust and debris on top of ventilation hood; on June 9, no cleaning procedures have been implemented since day of initial inspection; observed encrusted deposits on cooking equipment; observed encrusted deposits and accumulation of grease on frying equipment; observed debris on floors in walk-in cooler; general clean needed in walk-in cooler; observed black buildup inside the ice machine, discontinue use of ice machine until it has been serviced; observed accumulation of food debris in microwave; observed daylight coming from gap at the bottom of exit door near kitchen area; no paper towels at hand washing sink; did not observe hand-washing reminder for employees at hand sink; no trash can located near hand sink; 2 foot candles measured in walk cooler. Increase lighting; 15 foot candles measured at food prep area, increase lighting; observed chipping paint on walls where food prep table in kitchen is located; observed damaged wall near upright walk-in cooler where beer is stored; observed damaged wall on the right when entering walk-in cooler; observed dirt, grease and accumulation of food debris on floors underneath equipment throughout facility; observed dirt, grease and accumulation of food debris on walls where cooking equipment is located and walls near ice machine; observed accumulation of dust and grease on exhaust fan; observed accumulation of dust and grease build up on ceiling tiles; observed damaged ceiling tiles in cooking area; on June 9, no cleaning procedures have been implemented since day of initial inspection
General comment: on May 24, food in walk-in cooler and make-table/reach-in cooler not maintaining temperature, food in both cold-holding units were out of temperature, averaging about 45 to 46 degrees. Jose was given the option to be closed by us or voluntarily close due to not having adequate equipment to maintain food temperatures. Jose shut down and called refrigeration company to look at equipment. Refrigeration man stated the walk-in cooler was not maintaining temperature do to it being clogged up. I told them they needed to stay closed until walk-in cooler was fixed; on May 25, received a call from Adrian Lopez and was told that walk-in cooler was fixed. I went to location and spoke to staff and told them to keep a log of walk-in cooler ambient temperature and buy a probe thermometer to check internal temperatures. Notified them that I would return May 31 for a follow up. Unable to get an ambient reading due to new shelves being put into walk-in cooler; On June 1, No certified food manager on site. Took some temperatures of food items in walk-in cooler. Chopped onions, 47 degrees; beef fajita, 45 degrees; chicken, 46 degrees. Employee called owner (Jose) to come into the store so I could speak with him. Spoke with Jose and told him he needed to discard the food that was out of temperature but he refused. No temperature log has been kept and no probe or ambient thermometer that works on site; on June 6, visited facility and repairs were made to walk-in cooler but unit still needs to be updated due to exposure of bare wood and improper panels to maintain adequate cold-holding temperatures, reviewed food handler certifications and verified with accredited course that certificates were taken back to back. John Mark with Texas Food Handler Certifications confirmed practice tests were failed but all exams passed. John was able to confirm that tests were taken in English. Verified and confirmed person(s) who took the test did not speak English. Employee stated she came to the Angelina County & Cities Health District to complete her certification but our facility hasn’t provided food handler certifications in more than four years. Employee confirmed she did not take the test and knew nothing about it. Employees shall retake food handlers course and complete it on their own to be more knowledgeable on food safety. Observed food in working container without proper date marking and labeling. Food had to be discarded. Person in charge stated food was prepared on June 6 but old date labels were not removed. All containers shall be washed using proper warewashing methods before use. Employee observed touching tortillas (ready-to-eat food) after cooking tortillas. No bare hand contact is allowed with ready-to-eat foods. Tortillas were discarded; on June 9, visited facility due to receiving a complaint about a possible foodborne illness outbreak. I began the inspection by informing the person in charge of the complaint. The other inspector and myself began taking food temperatures of the walk-in cooler due to past issues maintaining adequate food temperatures. We were able to confirm that walk-in cooler is still not maintaining adequate food temperatures. Cold holding temperatures hall be 41 or below. Walk-in cooler: chicken, 44; fish, 43; barbacoa 45; ground beef, 43; ranch, 44; refried beans, 44; queso 44. Food in walk-in cooler still not maintaining temperature, food was discarded while we were on site. Hot-holding temperatures were also out of compliance. Hot-holding temperatures shall be 135 or above. Eggs, 121.7; chorizo 64.3. Several food items also were observed rotten and mildewed in walk-in cooler. Observed damaged walk-in cooler panels. Observed inadequate hand soap at hand washing sink, soap was watered down. Did not observe employees washing their hands properly during the two-hour investigation. Verbal guidance was given to the employees and the owner. Also observed employees washing their hands at the three-compartment sink that was full of dirty equipment. Employees observed not changing gloves between tasks. Physical facility was observed dirty with no evidence of implementation of cleaning procedures. Cold-holding equipment not maintaining adequate food temperatures. Immediate closure of facility due to rules and regulations and food safety standards not being met. Permit has been suspended and establishment shall not operate until health department reinspects for correction. Closure will be in effect for 10 days per the Health and Safety Code, Sec. 437.0145.
Texas Shaved Ice — Lufkin Mall, 4600 S. Medford Drive, Lufkin
Reasons for violations: priority violation items noted during current inspection; observed employee washing hands at three-compartment sink, warewashing sink shall not be used as a hand sink; bodily fluid clean up kit required on site for responding to vomiting and diarrheal events; no first aid kit on site; unable to verify food handlers certifications due to proof of certifications not being on site for review; gloves are required when handling ready-to-eat food, observed employee placing ice in ice shaver utilizing bag; observed wiping cloths stored in three-compartment sink; no chemical test strips available for checking chemical sanitation at three-compartment sink; observed black debris on nonfood contact surfaces of both ice shavers; observed black buildup inside both block ice shaver machines, if the manufacturer does not provide cleaning specifications for food-contact surfaces of equipment that are not readily visible, the person in charge should develop a cleaning regimen that is based on the soil that may accumulate in those particular items of equipment; observed disposable spoons that are not pre-wrapped inside small bucket located inside hand-washing sink, utensils shall be stored handle side up so that only handles are touched by employees; observed small bucket with spoons stored inside hand-washing sink, unable to access hand sink, removed items to access hand-washing sink; did not observe any hand soap at hand sink; observed purses stored on countertop by ice machine, personal belongings can contaminate food, food equipment and food-contact surfaces, proper storage facilities are required for articles such as purses, coats, shoes, etc.; observed evidence of pests crawling underneath cabinets where cups are stored, observed pests crawling inside wrapper and cups that were stored under cabinets, observed pest droppings underneath cabinets and inside the wrapper and cups, cups were discarded, insects and other pests are capable of transmitting disease to humans by contaminating food and food-contact surfaces, effective measures must be taken to eliminate their presence in food establishments, person in charge voluntarily closed to take effective measures to eliminate the presence of pests on June 6; on June 7, inspected facility and person in charge provided proof of extermination, facility still needs more cleaning to prevent further issues with pests; on June 8, inspected facility at 10 a.m., person in charge took care of further requirements needed to meet reopening. Facility was deep cleaned and food and nonfood contact surfaces of equipment and physical facilities were sanitized, establishment is good to open, pest control records were provided and extermination frequency has been implemented, person in charge will provide further records; observed dirt and debris on the perimeter of countertops and inside cabinets, observed dirt on floor, general clean needed on countertops, inside cabinets and flooring; unable to locate health permit posted so it is conspicuous to consumers
Chick-Fil-A West Lufkin, 250 N. John Redditt Drive, Lufkin
Reasons for violations: chemical test strips needed to monitor sanitizing solution at three-compartment sink in warewashing area
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